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An invasive alien species (also known as an invasive non-native species (INNS)) is any non-native animal or plant that has the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way we live. INNS pose a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem health through impacts such as displacement of native species, habitat loss and change of community structure. INNS can also have significant impacts on wellbeing, for example by affecting recreational activities and restricting access, and, in some instances, directly affecting human health. Once introduced, INNS can be extremely difficult and costly to contain or eradicate. It is estimated that the cost of INNS to Wales is at least £147 million a year, an 18% increase from £125 million a year in 2010[1].
Wales is committed to supporting the aims of the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy by prioritising prevention, early detection and eradication, and strategic long-term management of INNS. To support these aims it is important to have open access to up-to-date and robust data on the distribution of INNS of concern. The Wales INNS Portal, hosted by the National Biodiversity Network Atlas Wales, supports the activities of the Wales Biodiversity Partnership Invasive Non-Native Species Group[2] in providing a single resource to view and search records of INNS of interest to Wales that are held by the NBN Atlas.
The Wales INNS Portal supplements the GB Non-native Species Information Portal and its Species Alerts mechanism by providing a facility to view and search for INNS specifically of interest to Wales.
The Portal includes taxa of interest to Wales including those listed under EU and national legislation:
- Invasive Alien Species of Special Concern (listed under EU Regulation 1143/2014 Invasive Alien (non-native) Species and the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement & Permitting) Order 2019.
- UK Marine Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) Priority list (2020)
- Water Framework Directive (WFD) UKTAG alarm species
- Water Framework Directive (WFD) UKTAG impact species
- Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 9 – Part 1 and Part 2 (not Part 1A or 1B)
and those of policy and practical interest:
- Contingency Plan Species for Wales
- GB Non-Native Species Secretariat Alert Species
- Natural Resources Wales Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) list
- INNS – Wales Priority Species for Action
- Marine Invasive Non-native Species Priority Monitoring and Surveillance list for Wales
The complete list of over 358 INNS of interest to Wales, including synonyms, common names and their list membership, is available for download in [An overview of the individual species lists can be found by clicking here.
NBN Atlas uses the UK Species Inventory (UKSI), managed by the Natural History Museum in London, as its species dictionary. Nomenclature for the Wales INNS Portal, as with the NBN Atlas Wales, follows the UKSI.
[1] Eschen, R., Kadzamira, M., Stutz, S. et al. An updated assessment of the direct costs of invasive non-native species to the United Kingdom. Biol Invasions 25, 3265–3276 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03107-2
[2] The Wales Biodiversity Partnership Invasive Non-Native Species Group is also known as the Wales Country Working Group under the GB INNS Strategy.