In 2015, the GB Non-native Species Secretariat (NNSS) and Defra held a week of awareness-raising on social media around invasive non-native species, Invasive Species Week. Following positive feedback from stakeholders, the NNSS have repeated Invasive Species Week annually with support from a wide range of organisations.
Since 2016, practical action (e.g. events, training, and management) has taken place alongside online awareness-raising focused on the Check Clean Dry and Be Plant Wise campaigns. Invasive Species Week 2016 was launched in GB by Lord Gardiner. It was in 2018 at a BIC Ministerial meeting that for the first time, all eight British-Irish Council (BIC) members agreed to come together to tackle the growing economic and ecological threat posed by invasive species (Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Jersey). Campaigns such as Check Clean Dry have been adopted across the BIC jurisdictions with ministerial approval and launches.
In 2020, Invasive Species Week was cancelled due to Covid-19, and in 2021, it included a larger online element than in previous years due to ongoing restrictions. In 2022, along with online awareness-raising, we launched our Invasive Species Northern Ireland website in tandem with the National Biodiversity Centre’s (NBDC) launch of their new website (www.invasives.ie) during Invasive Species Week. Invasive Species Week 2023 consisted of online awareness-raising with online talks and webinars, along with practical management events, with over 260 organisations participating across all eight BIC administrations.
The British-Irish Council was established as part of the multi-party agreement reached in Belfast on 10 April 1998. Its membership comprises representatives from the Irish Government; UK Government; Scottish Government; Northern Ireland Executive; Welsh Government; Isle of Man Government; Government of Jersey and Government of Guernsey. The Environment Work Sector is one of the BIC’s five inaugural work sectors. Its structure has evolved to differ notably from other work sectors in that it operates through subgroups which themselves essentially operate as work sectors. The work sector’s current focus and subgroups are: Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), Climate Adaptation, Marine Environment, Marine Litter and the Asian Hornet Taskforce. The British-Irish Council helps to promote collaboration and cooperation between its members, and this event aims to showcase exactly that through information exchange, sharing of case studies and forming new relationships.
This year, during Invasive Species Week 2024, online awareness-raising campaigns, webinars, talks and in-person events will take place across all eight BIC administrations. Click here for more information and how you can get INNSvolved.
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