Question reference: S4W-27976
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 9 October 2015
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Current status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 5 November 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27273 by Aileen McLeod on 14 September 2015, whether it will provide further details of the work of the action group, and whether it will ensure that the group’s activities will also monitor the spread of giant hogweed in all areas.
Answer
Recent work undertaken by the Non-Native Species Action Group has included guidance for zoos and wildlife parks on preventing the escape of potentially invasive non-native species. The current focus of the group’s work is on determining management and prevention priorities for non-native species as regards Scotland.
The distribution of the plant is recorded in a number of ways. The Botanical Society of the British Isles periodically publishes a complete atlas of plant distribution, based on records gathered by volunteers. Records of giant hogweed are also collated and made available on the National Biodiversity Network and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is developing a tool on Scotland’s Environment Web that will use that data to show changes in the distribution of invasive species over time. The group will put in place arrangements to ensure that these, and other records, are monitored regularly.
A note of group meetings is available on the Biodiversity Scotland website