Botanic Gardens hold large and diverse collections of plants, the majority of which are exotic, and many of which may be new to cultivation. Such plants may be given every encouragement to flower and adapt to their new home.
It is now recognised that there is often a lengthy lag phase between when a species becomes naturalised and represents no more than an innocuous introduction, to when it may become highly invasive. To date such transitions have usually proved to be unpredictable and unexpected.

An EU regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (No. 1143/2014) came into force on the 1st January 2015. The new regulation aims to address the adverse impact alien invasive species have on biodiversity, ecosystem services, human health and the economy in the EU Member States.

The Regulation will restrict the use, trade and transport of invasive alien species, as well as management and control measures, underpinned by a list of invasive species of EU concern which will be compiled by Member States and regularly updated and reviewed every six years. The initial limit of 50 species has now been removed and this will enable Member States to take specific actions on invasive species of national concern.

It is vital that Botanic Gardens take steps to prevent future problem taxa from establishing through their collections

Initiatives such as DAISIE and North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Species (NOBANIS) as well as National Initiatives, such as Harmonia - Invasive species in Belgium provide detailed databases, but it can be difficult for Garden managers and curators to obtain summary lists that provide at a glance indications of problem taxa.
The European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) provides data sheets and Pest Risk Analyses to over 60 invasive alien plants.

The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN), launched in 2012 by the European Commission, is an online platform facilitating the exploration of existing information on alien species from distributed sources, supporting scientific assessments and the implementation of European policies on alien species (e.g. EU Regulation 1143/2014).

SCOPE

The Scope of this European Consortium initiative therefore, is to :-

• Compile lists of known invasive plants from acroos Europe, as well as those demonstrating 'weediness' at a Garden, Local or Regional level, in order to highlight cultivated taxa of concern, or potential concern across Europe.
• Identify emerging problem taxa in the large, and diverse, botanic collections, especially in an era of Climatic Change, so as to alert collection holders to their potential risk in terms of invasiveness.
• Foster vigilance through sharing early recognition of these newly problematic, or potentially problematic, taxa.
• Ensure responsible, pro-active policies in Botanic Gardens and other plant collections, and apply these in a coherent manner across Europe.
• Encourage gardens to engage with the public by informing them of the risks of introducing certain species into the wild, and how to recognise these species.