Evaluation of invasive plant species in Poland: methods adopted and results of their application as a basis for practical action

إنجليزي. The new regulations that have come into force in the EU brought about, for the first time in Poland, a risk assessment for 118 species of alien origin, including 60 plant species, which was carried out by the initiative of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection in the department of the Ministry of the Environment. In this evaluation the Harmonia+PL procedure was used, based on protocol Harmonia+ , developed in Belgium, adopted to the situation in Poland. The procedure comprises 41 questions that refer to the present status of the invasive species and its impact in specific domains. We distinguished the environmental domain (wild plants and animals, habitats and ecosystems), the plant domain (cultivated plants), the animal domain (domesticated animals), the human domain (humans), other domains (targets not included elsewhere), ecosystem services, and the effect of expected climate change on species invasiveness. Each species was assessed independently by two experts, and the joint version was agreed in consultation with a third expert (the reviewer). Risk scores referring to the current (or potential)situation of the assessed speciesin Poland were calculated based on the answers obtained. The final grade of the species was calculated based on the number of domains affected by the species, scope of this impact and the degree of certainty of the assessment. Among the 60 plant species analysed, seven are not yet found in Poland, and 12 occur only in cultivation. All the analysed species have a negative impact on the natural environment, 50 species (83.3%) have a negative impact on cultivated plants, 31 species (51.7%) on the animal domain, 46 species (76.7%) on other domains, and 25 species (41.7%) showed negative effects on humans. One of the aspects of the analysis of the 60 alien plant species in Poland is the reference of the obtained results to the degree of risk caused by individual species, and then their allocation to one of four lists of species ‐ white, warning, alarm and black lists (Fig. 1). These lists are designed in order to facilitate management and make appropriate decisions on how to deal with particular species. The analysis identified 10 priority species for which remedial actions will be taken first. Among them there are two species at the initial stage of spread (e.g. Cabomba carliniana), those rapidly increasing the number of localities (e.g. Impatiens capensis), as well as those that are already very numerous (e.g. Echinocystis lobata or Heracleum sosnowskyi). Regardless of the activities aimed at developing the most effective logistics solutions, a large part of the action plan was devoted to the development of legal solutions, control of dispersal corridors, training of administration and public service employees, as well as educational campaigns.

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