Invasive alien plant species Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) as a potential threat for forests in Slovenia

Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) je invazivna tujerodna rastlinska vrsta, za katero v Sloveniji do pred nedavnim ni bilo podatkov o pojavljanju v naravi. Poleti 2018 sta bili v informacijskem sistemu Invazivke (www.invazivke.si) potrjeni prvi najdbi kudzuja pri nas v naravnem okolju. V tej podatkovni bazi se kot podpora za sistem zgodnjega obveščanja in hitrega odzivanja (ZOHO), ki se razvija v sklopu projekta LIFE ARTEMIS, zbirajo podatki o invazivnih tujerodnih vrstah pri nas. Obe nahajališči kudzuja sta v submediteranskem fitogeografskem območju Slovenije, v bližini Strunjana in v Dekanih. Namen članka je predstaviti osnovne značilnosti invazivne rastlinske vrste, ki pri nas ni dobro znana. V prispevku opozarjamo tudi na potencialne negativne vplive, ki bi jih kudzu lahko povzročil z nenadzorovanim širjenjem, predvsem v gozdnem prostoru. Na ravni EU je kudzu zaradi potencialnih škodljivih vplivov na okolje uvrščen med tiste invazivne tujerodne vrste, za katere morajo države članice sprejeti takojšnje stroge ukrepe za odstranitev oziroma preprečitev širjenja. Zgodnje obveščanje in hitro odzivanje v začetnih fazah širjenja sta ključni dejavnosti, ki bistveno pripomoreta k učinkovitemu zmanjševanju negativnih vplivov invazivnih tujerodnih vrst.Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is an invasive alien plant species whose presence in natural habitats in Slovenia was not documented until recently. Last summer however, first two confirmed records of kudzu were reported in the information system Invazivke.si. In this database, information on invasive alien species in Slovenia is collected as a support for the early warning and rapid response system being currently developed within the project LIFE ARTEMIS. Both sites where kudzu was found are located in Slovenian Istria, the Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region of Slovenia, near the town of Strunjan and in the town of Dekani. The aim of this paper is to describe basic characteristics of the kudzu, plant species which is not well-known in Slovenia, and to draw attention to the potential risks this species poses, in particular for forested areas. Based on the EU regulations, kudzu is on the official Union list of invasive alien species for which there is a high risk of causing significant adverse impacts in the environment. Early detection and rapid response in the initial stages of the invasion are key activities that largely contribute to the effective mitigation of the uncontrolled spread and the negative effects of invasive alien species