Single- and Cross-modal Management of Invasive Species in Transport (Main topic 202)

Invasive alien species (IAS) are non-native fauna and flora (neobiota) that are detrimental to biodiversity. Some IAS may even be hazardous to human health and/or generate economic costs. Altogether, expenses caused by invasive species in the EU amount to several billions of euros per year. Given the impacts of climate change and globalisation with its increasing trade flows, IAS-related problems are even expected to rise.

Transport carriers are particularly affected since many IAS are introduced and spread via transport. Moreover, transport routes and their adjacent areas provide potential pathways and spaces for many IAS to expand their range and establish in their new environment.

Giant hogweed Source: Pia Bartels, BASt

The prevention of the introduction and spread of IAS is the subject matter of several international treaties, including the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. The EU adopted its IAS regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014) in 2014. IAS control measures are also embedded in the German National Strategy on Biodiversity and in German federal legislation, including in particular the Federal Nature Conservation Act (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz - BNatSchG, Section 40) amended in 2017.

Notwithstanding the issue's high relevance for the transport sector, the personnel in charge are not yet sufficiently informed to ensure a sustained minimisation or a complete prevention of the introduction and further spread of IAS via and along transport carriers. So far, both effective transport mode-specific approaches to control already established IAS and pre-emptive tools to stop further new invasions are lacking. In its prior research phase (2016-2019), the BMDV Network of Experts gained valuable insights into the sets of species and dispersal pathways relevant to the different modes of transport. The prototypes developed for the transport mode-specific spread model CASPIAN and the web-based neobiota information system (NIS-DE) served as important cornerstones for prevention and early detection tools.

In the BMDV Network of Experts' ongoing research phase the focus has shifted to the advancement of directly implementable and practicable methods and instruments to manage IAS in transport, not only in terms of prevention, but also to support the inevitable continuous IAS management efforts in the transport system. This approach aims to provide users with tailored, practicable solutions ensuring adequate IAS management techniques. Besides, further fundamental data are collected to close knowledge gaps on the pertinence of transport sector-specific dispersal pathways and on highly relevant sets of species.

Coordination:

German Centre for Rail Traffic Research at the Federal Railway Authority (DZSF/EBA)

Coordinator:

Dr. Lars Symmank
German Centre for Rail Traffic Research at the Federal Railway Authority (DZSF/EBA)
SymmankL@dzsf.bund.de

Participating institutions:

• DZSF/EBA
• BASt
• BfG
• BSH