Special congratulations to the authors from Employees of the Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw: “We are proud and, at the same time, congratulations to the authors of the article that was recently published in the prestigious PeerJ journal”.
- One of the consequences of human activity is the delay or unwitting dispersal of alien plant species, including those found to be invasive.
- Nowadays, it is the invasions of species of alien origin caused by human activity that are considered – apart from habitat fragmentation – as one of the most serious threats to biological diversity.
- Due to the importance of protected areas for the conservation of biodiversity, the degree of invasion and the magnitude of the threats posed by alien plants are extremely important for the conservation of these areas.
- The paper summarizes data on the occurrence of invasive alien plant species in the most valuable protected areas in Poland, i.e. in national parks. The distribution of invasive plant species was investigated and attempts to eliminate these species were summarized.
- Data obtained from 23 national parks was analyzed. Invasive plants were found in all analyzed protected areas, from two to 42 species in a given national park. A total of 68 invasive plants were found! The most common species were: small balsam, policeman’s helmet, tall goldenrod, Japanese knotweed and black locust.
- The number of invasive species in national parks in mountain and foothill areas is smaller than in parks located in lowland areas of Poland.
- Lack of comprehensive measures to eliminate and prevent the spread of invasive plant species in most of the national parks. Sharing of expertise, documenting examples of best practices, and developing minimum standards for monitoring and eradicating invasive species are essential.
If interested, we send a link to the article http://bit.ly/Invasive_alien_plants
Photographs provided by the Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw.
