Invasive Species in the Cairngorms National Park
The native plants and animals of the Cairngorms represent a wealth of wildlife that forms a distinctive feature of the area. There are, however, a number of non native species that can cause severe problems for our native wildlife.
Fish and Animals
The rivers, burns and lochs of the Cairngorms support internationally important populations of species like Atlantic salmon and fresh water pearl mussels and are internationally renowned for their fisheries.
Many species of fish which are native to other parts of the UK are absent from the Cairngorms.
If introduced, new fish species could cause problems by transmitting disease and parasites to native stocks. They may also increase levels of competition and predation within existing fish communities. Some species of fish, already know to be present within the Cairngorms, such as rudd, roach, tench, golden orfe and bream can all be classed as non-native invaders.
Other non-native animals that are regarded as threats to native wildlife of the Cairngorms include American mink and American grey squirrels.
Plants
Non-native invasive plants can grow rapidly and take over from native plant species. They can block drains, cause fish mortality (by reducing the amount of oxygen), limit access to rivers, pose public health risks, lead to bank destabilisation or create a flood risk.
A number of aquatic plants that originate from overseas are considered to be a threat to local biodiversity. These include water fern, pappot's feather, floating pennywort and Australian swamp stonecrop. Other problem plant species include Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, river water-crowfott and Himalayan balsam.
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