The Zebra Mussel Management Strategy for Northern Ireland

I am pleased to see this positive effort for the control of Zebra Mussels in Northern Ireland. Invasive alien species are the biggest threat to native biodiversity, after habitat destruction. All habitats can be threatened, resulting in grave damage to conservation and economic interests such as agriculture, fi sheries, forestry, tourism and civil infrastructure. In some cases, public, animal and plant health may also be threatened. The need to address the issue of invasive introduced species is recognised in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB), to which both the UK and Irish Governments are signatories. It requires contracting parties, as far as is appropriate “to prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species”. Last year, Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), in conjunction with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPW), Dublin, commissioned The Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) to carry out a review of introduced species in Ireland and make recommendations for future action. The report made 10 key recommendations to address both the urgent and longer-term issues. This will provide the framework in which this management strategy will be implemented. The need for a co-ordinated approach between jurisdictions to tackle the zebra mussel invasion was recognised and acted upon from the outset. Although the Zebra Mussel Management Strategy has focuse