Meeting of the Parliament 31 October 2024
I thank Audrey Nicoll for bringing this important topic to the chamber.
On its website, the organisation the Wildlife Trusts estimates that wild pollinators are responsible for pollinating 85 to 95 per cent of the UK’s crops. It also anticipates that taking on the job ourselves
“would cost ... an estimated £1.8 billion a year.”
It really is no exaggeration to say that addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, and protecting our environment, is a matter of life and death that impacts our food sources, habitat and way of life.
Pollinators are under threat, with three bumblebee species having become extinct in recent decades. A recent European red list for bees reports that almost
“one in 10 wild bee species face extinction”.
Over the past 50 years, half the bee, butterfly and moth species that were studied in the 2013 “State of Nature” report have declined.
There are many reasons for bee population decline. Asian hornets are a growing threat to Scotland, with the Scottish Government’s pest-specific contingency plan highlighting them as
“one of thirty invasive non-native species identified as having a high risk of arriving, establishing and impacting biodiversity and ecosystems in Scotland in the next 10 years.”
Asian hornets can destroy western honeybee colonies, which have no defence against the threat. Japanese honeybees, however, evolved alongside Asian hornets and surround them in a ball of attack—the heat from the ball of bees overwhelms the hornet.
As has been highlighted, our greatest defence against invasive non-native species is to stop their introduction. However, we need best practice methods to better eradicate invasive non-native species that have already taken hold, such as rhododendron, which, as we have heard, grows in vast swathes of Scotland’s rainforest.
In Shetland, our waters face threats from many species, such as the orange-striped anemone, which has up to 100 long greenish tentacles, is found in brackish and inshore waters and can foul harbour and marina structures, boat hulls, mussel lines and oyster beds.
The Japanese skeleton shrimp is a red to cream-coloured shrimp-like animal with spines along its back. Those shrimps are widespread in Shetland and are found only on man-made structures, with little yet known about their impact. Among others, the orange-tipped sea squirt, which has a U-shaped gut, is found on man-made structures—which it, too, can foul—and in the wild, under rocks in Scalloway.
The Shetland Community Wildlife Group and UHI Shetland recommend that boats and structures be kept
“as free of fouling as possible”
and that personal gear be kept
“clean and dry ... when moving between areas.”
Even the smallest pieces of invasive non-native species should not be put back into the water, as
“some can grow back from tiny bits.”
If people encounter any invasive non-native species, they are asked to contact the Shetland Community Wildlife Group and UHI Shetland, with a location reference and timings, noting what the specimen was attached to. That will help to limit the spread of such species, which can impact businesses and ecological balance.
We may not be able to avoid species habitat expansion as our climate changes, although we should not shy away from the challenge of tackling the climate emergency. We can work together to limit the problems of invasive non-native species that are caused by human actions.
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