AQO 3123/22-27

Mr Peter McReynolds
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 05/02/2026
Answered On Date: 23/03/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs how he is working to address the threat of invasive species to biodiversity.

Answer:

Invasive species movements are a consequence of living in an increasingly interconnected world, and their management is a responsibility for all landowners and public authorities. My Department’s primary focus is on increasing awareness to promote effective biosecurity and prevent the establishment of new invasive species.

My Department takes forward regulatory action to comply with the EU regulation on invasive species. This includes work to reduce the distribution and numbers of Widely Spread Species, 12 named invasive species already well-established in Northern Ireland which impact on local biodiversity.

Specific actions to address invasive species are detailed in the published Environmental Improvement Plan and proposed in the draft Nature Recovery Strategy, the latter including review of the Northern Ireland Invasive Species Strategy.

DAERA also participates in awareness-raising activity such as the Invasive Species Northern Ireland website (https://invasivespeciesni.co.uk/), social media and the Check Clean Dry campaigns for reducing the spread of aquatic invasives, together with collaborative work across the British Irish Council administrations.

An important delivery mechanism is the Shared Island Invasive Alien Species and Biosecurity initiative which sets out to deliver an enhanced programme of work around invasive alien species, working on a north-south basis. It is funded through the RoI Department of the Taoiseach Shared Island Initiative, with additional funding committed by the (RoI) National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Work commenced in 2024 and continues until 2029, aiming to promote the joined-up, strategic approach necessary to better address the threat presented by invasive species across the island of Ireland.