Invasive Species Are a Global Issue

Sam Lindsay speaks to Nava Fadaeff from New Zealand and Francesca Osowska from Scotland about invasive species for the ‘100 Voices: Home and Away’ project.

Warming temperatures could lead to more invasive species across the world. Photo by GeoNadir on Unsplash

Away- Nava Fadaeff, New Zealand

Nava Fadaeff, 30, is a climate scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), a Crown Research Institute established in 1992. Nava was born in Tomsk, Siberia, and now lives in Auckland, where she studies the effect of global warming in her country 

Fadaeff explained that climate change was currently affecting nature in New Zealand. She said: “One issue is the rising average temperatures are problematic because warming temperatures will likely make New Zealand a more suitable habitat for invasive flora and fauna. Invasive species from warmer climates may 'outcompete' native species. Subtropical plant species like Bangalow Palm currently only grow in northern New Zealand, but they could spread southwards as the climate warms.”    

Home- Francesca Osowska, Scotland

NatureScot, which is headed by Francesca Osowska, said there is no evidence that Scotland’s recent record-breaking warm summers have led to an increased prevalence of invasive plants in Scotland. 

“Our colder winter temperatures are more likely to be a limiting factor for invasive plant species than summer temperatures. Milder winters with fewer hard frosts could see the spread of invasive plants like Chilean rhubarb, which is already causing problems on the west coast of Ireland and parts of the Western Isles.”