Classical biological control of Fallopia japonica in the United Kingdom – lessons for Europe

Abstract

Shaw RH, Tanner R, Djeddour D & Cortat G (2011). Classical biological control of Fallopia japonica in the United Kingdom – lessons for Europe. Weed Research51, 552–558. Summary The programme for the biological control of Fallopia japonica in the United Kingdom has provided some valuable insights into the practicalities of delivering a classical biological control programme against a weed in the European Union. In the absence of tailored legislation, the licensing process was complex but not prohibitive. It involved the production of a pest risk analysis (PRA; based on the EPPO template), an application through national legislation (the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act), the production of peer‐reviewed publications, expert committee consideration, further commissioned peer review and public consultations prior to final Ministerial judgement, which was granted in March 2010. Although there is room for some streamlining in the process, this approach has proved to be effective and robust and should be applicable to similar programmes in Europe. This is important, because classical biological control has considerable potential for the management of F. japonica and other weed targets throughout Europe, especially those impacting habitats where chemical use is all but impossible. The lessons learned from the knotweed biocontrol programme are discussed, and current weed biocontrol activities in Europe are briefly summarised. A classical biocontrol programme needs to deliver more than just pure science, because effective communication and negotiations in the public and political arena can provide more challenges than the traditional scientific ones.

Beyond protocols: improving the reliability of expert-based risk analysis underpinning invasive species policies

“…As an example, this way of working was applied in the consultation phase on the potential application of augmentative biocontrol for the invasive Japanese knotweed Fallopia spp. in the UK, with key data also being published in a peer-reviewed journal (Shaw et al 2009(Shaw et al , 2011Waage 2009). Making risk assessments publicly available can be a good option for controversial species where multiple interests may be in conflict, but such a process is time demanding.…”

Drivers of risk perceptions about the invasive non-native plant Japanese knotweed in domestic gardens

“…Introduced as a desirable garden plant in c.1850 (Shaw et al 2011), Japanese knotweed has since become widespread in much of the UK (Engler et al 2011); it is prevalent in the study region, Cornwall (present in 38.6% (n = 1517) of 3932 1 9 1 km grid-cells covering the county; Cornwall Council pers. comm.…”

Weed biological control in the European Union: from serendipity to strategy

“…This is surprising considering the extensive use of biological control agents (BCAs) in glasshouses (Minks et al 1998;Eilenberg et al 2000), for which Europe is a leading region and the use of at least 176 species of exotic arthropods that have not been confined in glasshouses but released, against pests of agriculture, across Europe (Gerber et al 2016). The reasons for this are manifold and have been discussed by Sheppard et al (2006) and Shaw et al (2011) but a prime issue appears to remain the general ignorance of the potential of classical biological control of weeds amongst policy makers, which is exacerbated by their risk aversion mind-set. The purpose of this account is to document selected examples of weed biological control to illustrate the long history of its inadvertent practice in Europe and then to highlight its recent (since 2010) intentional and successful implementation.…”