Invasive alien plants in Polish national parks-threats to species diversity.

Wojciech Adamowski,Agnieszka Rewicz,Anna Otręba,Anna Bomanowska,Izabella Kirpluk

doi:10.7717/peerj.8034

Wojciech Adamowski, Agnieszka Rewicz

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8034

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Abstract

Due to the relevance of protected areas to the conservation of native biota, the magnitude of invasions and threats posed by alien plants are currently important issues for the preservation of these areas. The paper summarises data on invasive alien plant species presence in the most valuable protected areas in Poland, i.e. national parks (NPs). We investigated the distribution of invasive alien plant species and management attempts concerning those species. We analysed data obtained from 23 national parks originating from published and unpublished sources. Invasive plants were present in all protected areas analysed, from two to 42 species in a particular national park, and 68 in total. The most widely distributed species were: Impatiens parviflora (present in 19 NPs), I. glandulifera (17), Solidago gigantea (17), Reynoutria japonica (17), and Robinia pseudoacacia (16). The conducted analyses showed that the number of invasive species decreased with the higher altitude (asl) of the national park. The most often managed species were Impatiens glandulifera (being removed in seven NPs), I. parviflora (six), Padus serotina (four) and Quercus rubra (four). In the majority of NPs, control activities are limited to small areas and singular species, thus having an incidental character. Only in five objects (Białowieża NP, Biebrza NP, Kampinos NP, Tuchola NP, Wigry NP), management has been focused on several species. We conclude that a lack of comprehensive management of invasive plant species in the majority of national parks currently limits the effectiveness of IAS (invasive alien species) eradication. Exchange of expertise among protected areas, documenting best practice examples, synthesising lessons learnt in IAS management, as well as the development of minimum standards for invasive plants surveillance and management are pivotal.

Highlights

Protected areas (PAs) play a key role in biodiversity conservation, preserving landscapes and ecosystems which are valuable for nature conservation (Chape et al, 2005; Tittensor et al, 2014; Braun, Schindler & Essl, 2016)
The aims of the study were: (i) to identify and characterise invasive plant species currently growing in Polish national parks (NPs), (ii) to estimate how many invasive plant species were detected in particular NPs and (iii) what were the most and least frequently recorded species among NPs, (iv) to analyse the degree of similarity of invasive plant species composition among NPs, (v) to analyse which variables are important for determining the number of invasive plants across NPs, and (vi) to collect information which invasive alien plants are managed
68 taxa of invasive vascular plants which belong to 55 genera and 28 families were found in Polish national parks (Table S1)

Summary

Introduction

Protected areas (PAs) play a key role in biodiversity conservation, preserving landscapes and ecosystems which are valuable for nature conservation (Chape et al, 2005; Tittensor et al, 2014; Braun, Schindler & Essl, 2016). Invasive alien plants in Polish national parks—threats to species diversity. The designation and maintenance of those natural, undisturbed ecosystems are part of the most important conservation strategy worldwide (Barber, Miller & Boness, 2004). Protected areas face numerous pressures, including tourism-related issues, wildfire management, poaching and illegal harvesting of resources (Barber, Miller & Boness, 2004; Rands et al, 2010), and climate change (Hannah, Midgley & Millar, 2002). One of the most serious concerns connected with human activity is the spread of invasive alien species (Olaczek, 1998; Foxcroft et al, 2013; Foxcroft et al, 2017)

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