[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5747\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe aliens are here \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo-called alien invasive species present health risks to humans and animals by carrying diseases or causing allergies. \u2018The rate of invasion has increased exponentially \u2013 at the same time the resilience of ecosystems is reduced due to other pressures,\u2019 said Ana Cristina Cardoso, a scientist from the European Commission\u2019s in-house research service (Joint Research Centre) who is at the forefront of the fight against alien species in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe is currently helping put together the EU-funded European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN), a Europe-wide information network in partnership with European and global data providers that will help researchers pick out trends in the way that species are spread.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile thousands of alien species pose no threat at all \u2013 and some are even beneficial \u2013 a significant number have adapted so successfully that they have become invasive, displacing or causing the extinction of native species, disrupting ecosystems and infrastructure, and posing a threat to human health and livelihoods. \u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022\u003E \u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/00-RTD-invasivespecies-mussel-shutterstock_106390148.JPG\u0022 rel=\u0022lightbox\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\u0022To date Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) has been the most aggressive freshwater invader worldwide \u00a9 Shutterstock\u0022 height=\u0022267\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/00-RTD-invasivespecies-mussel-shutterstock_106390148.JPG\u0022 title=\u0022To date Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) has been the most aggressive freshwater invader worldwide \u00a9 Shutterstock\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ETo date Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) has been the most aggressive freshwater invader worldwide \u00a9 Shutterstock\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003ETo date Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) has been the most aggressive freshwater invader worldwide. \u00a9 Shutterstock\u003C\/em\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the European Environment Agency, there are now 163 \u2018high impact\u2019 invasive species in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETied up in a knotweed\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEurope-wide, the yearly bill for fixing the damage done by invasive species stands at almost EUR\u0026nbsp;10 billion. Control measures cost about EUR\u0026nbsp;2.8 billion more.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most expensive to deal with is Japanese knotweed, which damages development sites and transport networks and takes over rivers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027In some cases people have been unable to borrow money to buy houses with Japanese knotweed nearby.\u0027 said Dick Shaw, invasive species coordinator for Europe and the Americas for the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027The same plant and its hybrids are widespread in Northern Europe and many countries do not know what to do.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the 1970s, shipments of used car tyres to Albania helped carry the Asian tiger mosquito to Europe. Since then, the disease-carrying insect has spread across the continent and is considered responsible for many human deaths.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;In some cases people have been unable to borrow money to buy houses with Japanese knotweed nearby\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDick Shaw, Invasive Species Coordinator for Europe and the Americas for the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsthma-causing common ragweed was originally confined to North America. Travellers introduced it to Europe in the mid-1800s, and it\u2019s now found all over the continent. It has caused medical bills of almost EUR\u0026nbsp;200 million in Hungary and Austria alone, Shaw said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Fortunately a COST [European Cooperation in Science and Technology] programme aimed at managing this weed has recently been granted, which will look at many aspects of the plant including biological control.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeadly ornaments\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHundreds of years ago, wealthy Europeans would bring back exotic plants as trophies from their travels, unaware of the risks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECentral Asian giant hogweed was introduced to Europe in the 19th century for ornamental reasons, but has poisonous sap that burns the skin and causes blistering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the 1700s, rhododendrons were also imported from Asia, and now they have overrun many natural heaths and woodlands, out-competing native trees and threatening their survival. Efforts to halt their spread are time-consuming and costly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA study published in October 2012 revealed that the river Thames in the UK was one of the most highly invaded freshwater systems in the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists looked at the arrival of alien species in the river\u2019s catchment area from 1800 to 2010, and found that it had increased from one new species per decade in the early 19th century to one a year by 2010.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many species will be present without causing any damage, but others can grow to reach such large numbers that they have a significant economic impact,\u2019 said Dr Michelle Jackson, a postdoctoral researcher at Bournemouth University, UK, who authored the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The zebra mussel clogs up water pipes in power plants. And invasive crayfish species are particularly damaging. As well as carrying diseases to which native crayfish species are susceptible, they cause riverbanks to collapse by burrowing into them.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe sea grape, a green algae introduced from south-western Australia, has spread rapidly in the Mediterranean since it was discovered off the Libyan coast in 1990. It out-competes native algae and invertebrates in shallow waters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAlien trackers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new online network, EASIN, is tracking some 16\u0026nbsp;000 alien species in Europe and provides the most comprehensive information yet on the pathways and distribution of invasive species in the continent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt helps environment managers and others to design measures to combat their spread, and then see if they have made a difference.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018What we have done is to provide a mechanism to harmonise and process data from existing data sources,\u0027 said Cardoso. \u2018Existing databases do not cover all environments, taxonomic groups or all parts of Europe.\u0027 This \u2018big picture\u2019 view should pay dividends in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Recently we\u2019ve evaluated pathways of the introduction of species to the marine environment,\u2019 she said. \u2018We\u2019ve noticed that the trend of new alien introductions via aquaculture has declined in the past 10 years, presumably due to compulsory measures implemented at a national or European level.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Understanding changes like this can inform management actions and policy needs, and show where we should invest to control further introduction.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-wxqesjvh1lwofow-a92j0cjcgecwmu9j8rgib-nzxto\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-wXqESJvh1LWOFow_A92J0CjcGecwMU9j8RGiB-NzXto\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]