Help prevent invasive alien species from establishing within the Barents region

Due to a harsh climate the Barents region - the northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden - has suffered less from invasive alien species than southern areas of the countries. If invasive alien species are detected early in their establishment, it is often possible to eradicate them or strongly reduce the problems they can cause. Authorities and citizens can help fight and report the presence of the species that are invasive.

The fact sheet Invasive Alien Species in the Barents region – the worst 50, aims to synthesize the collected knowledge on IAS in the Barents countries. The fact sheet presents the 50 worst IAS of the Barents area (Table 1). The species list was generated from analyzing the risk assessments in Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Presently there are large amounts of data to be found on invasive alien species issues. This data is to be found in online databases and on webpages from authorities in the Barents countries (Table 2).

The second fact sheet Invasive Alien Species examples of “door-knockers” and early phase species in the northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden, lists twelve examples of species that are in an early phase of establishment in the northern parts of these countries or being so called ”door-knockers” (Table 1). Door-knockers are species not yet present in a region but are causing problems in adjacent areas, and may be expected to be introduced or colonize a region soon. It is important to share knowledge, experiences and practical procedures with neighboring countries. Such knowledge is significant for learning how to handle problematic species, how to get information on invasiveness of the most harmful species as well as to obtain immediate reports on newly arrived species.

The first fact sheet was produced late 2021 with focus on the at the time four countries of the Barents region. The second fact sheet was produced early 2024 with focus on invasive alien species in Finland, Norway and Sweden.

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