Catchment News

Identification guide to Ireland’s Regulated Invasive Alien Plant Species

The National Biodiversity Data Centre has released an identification guide to Ireland’s Regulated Invasive Alien Plant Species. It is a field-friendly 185 page ring bound guide. 

A number of legal instruments regulate invasive alien species on the island of Ireland and these are species which are required to be controlled to prevent further spread.

This guide presents a species account for each of those regulated plant species with photos, identification features, seasonal variation, regulation and impact level listing, mechanisms of reproduction, dispersal and spread – plus much more. For some species there is also a separate table for the key differences between similar or confusion species.

This guide suitable for use in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Learn more:

The cover from an identification guide called 'Ireland's Regulated Invasive Alien Plant Species'

Who is involved?

Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

LAWCO

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

DECLG

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.