[ad_1]
Gardeners have been advised to be alert for an invasive Australian flatworm which environmentalists say poses a serious risk to Ireland’s biodiversity and economy.
Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) said it has a confirmed identification of the creature in a garden on the Beara peninsula in West Cork.
And it has urged any outlet selling plants to issue a warning to the public to exercise vigilance when replanting their purchases because contaminated garden matter is the primary source of the spread of the species.
Flatworms are top-level predators of soil organisms. Australian flatworms have an elongated, strap-like body. Their eyes are either absent or tiny and are arranged along the body margins in a single row.
They eat earthworms, which play a vital role in the maintenance of soil fertility and appear to have no natural enemies of their own here.
According to the National Biodiversity Center, the implications of its indefinite spread for the drainage and fertility of our soil ‘pose a threat to Ireland’s biodiversity and economy’.
Japanese knotweed and the zebra mussels are examples of invasive species now out of control in Ireland.
FIE’s Caroline Lewis discovered the latest Australian flatworm here while digging in her garden near Eyeries on the Beara peninsula, and she registered the find with the National Biodiversity Data Center’s Invasive Species database.
Flatworms from New Zealand were first recorded in Ireland in the 1960s and are now widespread but the Australian flatworm was not recorded here until 1981. The creature discovered by Ms Lewis is just the 33rd recorded here over the last 40 years.
She said DIY stores, garden centers and any outlet which sells plants should now warn the public of the dangers of contaminated garden matter.
“Many people are working in their gardens under the current conditions and this is a prime time of year for these invasive pests,” she said.
“While ultimately elimination of any invasive species is challenging, it is important that we track their progress and do all we can to protect our own earthworms because of their vital role in soil fertility.
“DIY stores now supply an equal share of the market with garden centers while supermarkets also play a role in the spread of invasive species.
“All outlets should have sanitation measures and regular monitoring in place to prevent further transmissions as well as warning signs alerting gardeners to the possible presence of contaminated material.”
Like slugs, flatworms adhere to the underside of the pots.
Ms Lewis advised gardeners to check for flatworms regularly under pots, stones and logs, and under black polythene or capillary matting.
They can be killed by placing them into hot water or in a sealed container and put in the freezer.
EU legislation listed the New Zealand flatworm on its invasive species legislation in 2019. In the UK it is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to knowingly distribute either the New Zealand or the Australian flatworm, but there is no such legislation in Ireland.
[ad_2]