Award of CR/2020/13 - Horizon Scanning and Analysis of Pathways of Spread of Invasive Species int...

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Introduction 1. The Scottish Government (SG), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers wishes to commission two pieces of work on invasive non-native species (INNS): i) horizon scanning for INNS which are likely to impact on biodiversity within the next ten years but are not yet established in Scotland; and ii) a comprehensive analysis of pathways of introduction and spread of INNS into Scotland. 2. The purpose of this research is to provide information to help SG and its partner organisations to prioritise actions to prevent the establishment of new INNS in Scotland, including action plans for priority pathways of introduction and spread. 3. This specification sets out what is required, provides background information on research that has been conducted at Great Britain (GB) level and suggestions on method, but bidders are welcome to propose alternative methods for carrying out this work within the available budget and timescale. Background & Context 4. INNS are a major driver of biodiversity loss globally and cost the Scottish economy more than £250 million annually. Although only a small proportion of introduced species become invasive, these can cause great harm by carrying disease, preying on native species, crowding out native vegetation and causing habitat degradation. The most cost-effective way to address these pressures is to identify how new species invade and act quickly to prevent their establishment and spread. 5. Defra estimates that, given current rates of arrival, between 36 and 48 species will be introduced to the UK and become invasive over the next 20 years. 70+ INNS established in other parts of GB have yet to spread to Scotland. Methods for preventing INNS establishing include closing down pathways, enhancing biosecurity, raising public awareness and preventing secondary transfer, horizon scanning and risk assessing new threats. 6. Regular horizon scanning exercises are needed to identify future threats from INNS. Roy et al. carried out a horizon scanning exercise for Great Britain in 2014 and, within five years, eight of the top ten species on that list were detected. The GB assessment was repeated in 2019 (CEH, in prep.) and the Non-Native Species Secretariat has published the revised list of the top 30 INNS likely to become invasive in Britain over the next ten years. 7. A Scottish horizon scanning exercise was completed in 2015. This exercise is now due to be repeated and forms part of this piece of work. As well as species yet to become established in Great Britain, horizon scanning for Scotland needs to consider species that are established in England or Wales but have not yet become established in Scotland. 8. EU regulation 1143/2014 on invasive alien species (the IAS Regulation) came into force on 1 January 2015 and applies restrictions relating to a list of invasive alien species of EU concern. Listing is based on detailed risk assessments for individual species, which are reviewed by an expert panel. The list of candidate species for risk assessment was informed, in part, by a horizon scanning exercise (Roy, 2015; Roy et. al, 2019), which identified INNS likely to threaten different bioregions of Europe. 9. The IAS Regulation is made operable in Scottish law by The Invasive Non-native Species (EU Exit) (Scotland) (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2020. In Scotland, the IAS Regulation applies to a ‘Scottish list of species of special concern’, which is currently the same as the EU list. The Regulation requires Scottish Ministers to review this list by 2 August 2022, and it is anticipated the horizon scanning exercise will feed into this review. 10. Pathways are the routes of introduction and spread of INNS. Defra (2019) has published an analysis of pathways of introduction of INNS into the UK, as required under Article 13 of the IAS Regulation. This analysis was carried out on behalf of the UK government and devolved administrations and ranked the pathways according to the combined