Reporting portal for alien species extended to northern Germany

Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) have been operating the portal since June 2021 in cooperation with the Hamburg Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture (BUKEA, Department of Species, Biotope Protection & Impact Regulation), the Ministry of Economics and Innovation (Hamburg Plant Protection Office) and now also with NORe.

Dr Christina Barilaro, Chairwoman of the NORe Association: "We are delighted to be able to support this important instrument for recording alien species. How nature changes over the course of time can already be seen in the collections of natural history museums. Together with the current observation data from the reporting platform, a more holistic picture emerges. Paying particular attention to northern Germany in this context is extremely exciting in view of climate change."

The "neobiota-nord.de" website brings together information on alien insects, fish, mammals, birds, crabs and many other animal groups. At the same time, the portal offers everyone the opportunity to report findings and thus support science. Dr Martin Husemann, insect researcher at the LIB and initiator of the project: "The colonisation of non-native species is a major challenge in our globalised world. Thanks to the support of citizens, we can track the spread of alien species much more closely and over a wider area. The more people get involved, the clearer the picture becomes."

Alien species, which are often introduced by ship in harbour cities such as Hamburg and Bremen, are also spreading more and more in Germany. In addition, new species are migrating northwards from southern regions as a result of global warming. Most of these species have no negative impact on native ecosystems. However, the problem is that invasive species, such as the Asian hornet, the mitten crab or the nutria, which have been detected in Hamburg, have no natural enemies here. They can therefore spread uncontrollably, unbalance ecosystems and jeopardise the populations of native species. There are now well over 12,000 alien species in Europe. According to current estimates, up to 15 per cent of these are considered invasive.

More than 3,500 findings were reported via the portal in the first year, including species that had not previously been recorded here, such as the marmorated stink bug(Halyomorpha halys). BUKEA also provides corresponding findings from the Hamburg species register, some of which are reported by customs. The aim of the early warning system is to actively contain the spread of invasive species in good time.

Husemann hopes that this has been successful in the case of the Asian hornet: "We have specifically called on beekeepers in particular to report the presence of the Asian hornet so that BUKEA can react accordingly. So far, this has apparently prevented further spread to neighbouring federal states."

Further information: WWW.NEOBIOTA-NORD.DE