NIK: Poland is defenseless against invasive species

NIK negatively assessed the actions of public administration in the field of recognizing and combating invasive alien plant and animal species (IAS). It pointed out, among others, unreliable criteria for maintaining a register of species posing a threat to Poland or the EU by GDOŚ and the failure to adopt environmental protection programs in municipalities.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Audit Office announced that it had published a report in which it negatively assessed the actions of public administration in the field of identifying and combating invasive alien species of plants and animals (IAS). NIK conducted audits in the General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ), four regional environmental protection directorates and 16 offices of local government units in the years 2020-2024 (until September 11). Their aim was to determine whether selected public administration units correctly and reliably carried out tasks related to identifying and combating invasive alien species. It was reported that in all the communes audited by NIK, a comprehensive identification of invasive species was not carried out in their area, which was mainly due to the lack of indication in the Act on Alien Species of entities responsible for identifying the places where these species occur.

The Chamber reported that the General Director for Environmental Protection, in accordance with the Act on Alien Species, has developed an action plan regarding priority routes of IGO transfer posing a threat to the Union or Poland. The document identifies 36 routes of unintentional introduction or spread of invasive species. In connection with this, tasks to be performed have been specified, together with the entities responsible for their implementation. However, NIK emphasizes that their target value has not been specified, which makes it impossible to assess the achievement of strategic goals and the overarching goal of the action plan. It has also been shown that GDOŚ had not implemented a comprehensive IGO control program by the end of 2020, despite the fact that such programs were developed for a total of 15 species, and such an obligation resulted from the Program for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity, together with the action plan for 2015–2020.

NIK drew attention to the fact that GDOŚ did not properly maintain the IGO register, which was a system for monitoring invasive species within the meaning of Regulation 1143/2014 EP. It did not present actual data on the scale and distribution of invasive plant and animal species. NIK's audit detected cases of failure to report or untimely entry of information on identified locations of invasive alien species.

The Chamber emphasized that out of 468 nature reserves located in the area of ​​operation of the five Regional Directorates of Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) subject to NIK audit, for as many as 298 (64%) of them no protection plans were developed, and therefore these areas were not comprehensively identified in terms of the occurrence and spread of IGOs. In each of the five RDOŚ audited there were cases of failure to implement remedial measures against invasive species in nature reserves.

According to the NIK report, most of the audited municipalities did not correctly define tasks related to combating invasive species in municipal environmental protection programs. Five municipalities did not adopt such a program, and in three, these documents were not in force throughout the period covered by the audit. In turn, in six out of 12 offices where such programs were in force, they did not include tasks related to the issue of recognizing and combating IGO, despite the fact that such species occurred in the area of ​​each of these municipalities. In the NIK assessment, the preparation and adoption of environmental protection plans is necessary for the proper functioning of the environmental management system, because the provisions contained therein unite all activities and documents concerning environmental protection at the municipal level. Moreover, 10 out of 17 audited offices did not cooperate with other bodies and institutions in counteracting the spread of IGO.

None of the audited offices conducted a comprehensive assessment of the number and scale of IGO presence in the natural environment of the communes. The results of the assessment of the occurrence of invasive plant sites commissioned by the Supreme Audit Office may indicate such a need. In the audited communes, the experts identified a total of 246 previously unidentified IGO plant sites. In addition, the experts identified sites of Sosnowsky's hogweed in six communes that posed a threat to human life and health (they were located near schools, residential buildings, roads and pavements).

In five offices, there were cases of failure to implement remedial actions on IGO sites located on municipal properties, of which the offices had knowledge. In six offices, there were cases of implementing remedial actions on properties not owned by the municipality, despite the fact that the entities in charge had not been informed of the need to carry out these actions. This resulted in an unjustified burden on the municipal budgets for a total amount of PLN 65 thousand. During the inspection, it was also established that 10 offices did not inform the entities in charge of the properties of their obligations regarding the elimination of IGO. These situations concerned a total of 326 properties.

Among the solutions recommended by NIK was the postulate to clearly indicate in Article 15 of the Act on IGO the bodies responsible for conducting effective identification of the occurrence of IGO in the natural environment.

The Chamber also proposed extending the powers of the commune head (mayor or city president) and enabling these bodies to carry out remedial actions against invasive alien species at the expense of the property manager (referred to in art. 21 sec. 2 item 2 letter a of the Act on invasive alien species) in the event of failure to carry out remedial actions by that manager within one year of receiving information about the occurrence of invasive alien species on his plot.

Moreover, NIK indicated to the Minister of Climate and Environment the need to consider the possibility of co-financing from public funds the implementation of the municipalities’ own tasks related to the identification and combating of IGOs.

Invasive alien species pose a serious threat to the natural environment. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services warns in a report published in September 2023 that invasive alien species (IAS) pose a global threat to biodiversity. In 60% of recorded cases, they were the main cause of global plant and animal extinctions, and in 16% - the only cause. It is estimated that there are over 12 thousand alien species in Europe.

The Act on Alien Species, which entered into force on 18 December 2021, was intended to adapt the national system for combating IGOs ​​to the requirements of Regulation No. 1143/2014 of the European Parliament. The proposed solutions were to contribute to the elimination or minimization of the negative impact of alien species on native nature, ecosystem services, the economy and human health. The Act defined new tasks and competences of public administration bodies. New definitions were introduced into the Polish legal system (including invasive alien species, remedial actions, elimination), and the bodies responsible for issuing permits, monitoring and managing IGOs ​​were also indicated.

An important role in the system of eliminating invasive alien plant and animal species established by the act has been entrusted to mayors, city presidents and city heads. They are responsible, among other things, for receiving reports of the presence of IGOs ​​in the environment, verifying the formal report and notifying the relevant environmental protection authorities. The mayor, city head or city president is also responsible for taking remedial action against IGOs ​​that pose a threat to the EU and Poland and are widespread on a large scale. (PAP)

in m/ mp/ lm/

The PAP Foundation permits free reprinting of articles from the Nauka w Polsce Service, provided that you inform us by e-mail once a month about the use of the service and provide the source of the article. In portals and internet services, please include the linked address: Source: naukawpolsce.pl, and in journals the annotation: Source: Nauka w Polsce Service - naukawpolsce.pl. The above permission does not apply to: information from the "World" category and any photographs and video materials.