From hornets to algae: The growing threat of invasive alien species in Europe

euronews (in English)

Have you ever been stung by a tiger mosquito, or worse, an Asian hornet? It is estimated that around 14,000 alien species are present in Europe, introduced either accidentally or deliberately. Approximately one in ten is considered invasive.

Transcript

00:00This is the story of a cargo ship on its way to Europe.

00:09Inside a container, an insect patiently waits to disembark, to make its nest.

00:15Thousands of exotic species have been introduced to our continent, either by accident or deliberately.

00:22But what can be done when they become invasive, threatening ecosystems and the economy?

00:26This is what we're going to see in this episode.

00:41We begin our journey in France.

00:44Here there's one we're all familiar with, the Vespa Velutina, also known as the Asian

00:50Hornet.

00:51I'm asking people if they've ever seen Asian Hornets.

01:14These hornets are thought to have one common ancestor, a queen slipped into a pot imported

01:19from China by a French horticulturalist in 2004.

01:23Since then, the insect has conquered the whole of France and part of Europe.

01:34That's because a colony consumes an average of 11 kilos of insects a year.

01:38In France, the Asian Hornet is thought to be responsible for a third of all honeybee

01:42deaths.

01:43In autumn, predation is lower.

02:06It's a good time of the year to trap the animal.

02:09not to kill other insects.

02:25So to reduce its impact, French authorities are calling for nests to be reported and systematically

02:30destroyed.

02:31This man in action is researcher Eric Derosier, an Asian Hornet expert.

02:35We caught up with him at a private home where they have taken up residence.

03:05In his laboratory at the University of Tours, the scientist is developing a new trapping

03:31system based on the alarm pheromone that animals secrete when in danger.

03:56But the researcher also believes that it's too late to eradicate the species.

04:01Predation is where it counts.

04:25The Asian Hornet is on the list of 88 invasive alien species of union concern, 41 plants

04:32and 47 animals.

04:35The EU regulation imposes restrictions such as trade and requires member states to develop

04:39management measures.

04:42Let's head to the south of Spain, where there's another source of concern.

04:46It lives underwater.

04:48The Rugulopteryx Okanwure, a seaweed that has also come from Asia.

04:53In the summer, masses of algae cover the sands and removing it costs taxpayers a lot

04:59of money.

05:00Here on this famous beach in Cadiz, the city has removed more than 300 tons of seaweed

05:04this year.

05:08Locals and tourists don't really like to see it here.

05:12Spain has set up a national strategy to control this algae, which also has a huge impact on

05:18fishing.

05:19We headed to the port to find out more.

05:34That's a key point.

05:53The ecosystem is becoming uniform.

05:56This native plant looks like it's been drained of life.

06:15For several years now, the plant seems to have been gaining ground.

06:18First detected in 2015 near Gibraltar, it has since been spotted off the coast of places

06:23like Marseille, Palermo and the Basque Country.

06:33These scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of this lightning invasion, and they're

06:37pessimistic.

06:38So, the researchers from the Junta de Andalucía are studying the impact of the species that

06:58feed on it and on their offspring, like these sea urchins, in order to provide accurate

07:02data for the sustainable management of this algae.

07:28Marketing of this invasive seaweed is still banned, but as part of a European project,

07:32they're looking for ways to make use of this abundant biomass.

07:50That's the end of this trip.

07:52See you soon on the road to green.

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