Biodiversity and control of invasive alien species
On this page
Controlling invasive alien species
Alien species are species that do not originate in Finnish nature, but which have been brought to Finland by humans unintentionally or on purpose. Alien species have long been a recognised problem in Finland, but in recent years, they have spread alarmingly.
Some alien species have been defined as harmful. Finland maintains a national list of harmful alien species, and the EU has also drawn up its own list.
Several alien species were originally introduced as ornamental plants, but they have managed to spread out from gardens into the nearby nature. Alien species often have no natural competitors in new areas, so when they spread into nature, they can easily take over habitats and displace native species.
Please find more information about alien species on the national alien species portal at vieraslajit.fi (also in English). You can also report the presence of new alien species there.
Liability of property owners
It is prohibited to intentionally grow alien species, and occurrences on your property must always be destroyed. The sooner you catch the problem and initiate control measures, the sooner you can get rid of the harmful species. If a harmful alien species has spread onto your property unintentionally, it must be destroyed if its presence causes significant damage to biodiversity or human health and provided that it can be destroyed by reasonable means.
Plant waste from alien species uprooted from your garden or anywhere else must under no circumstances be left in the nature.
EU list of harmful invasive alien species
Since this species is classified as an invasive alien species throughout the EU, its importation, cultivation or breeding, sales and other possession and release into the environment are prohibited.
National list of harmful invasive alien species
The species is on the list of invasive alien species of national importance. The EU regulations allow the states to determine invasive alien species of national importance. So far, Finland has included 16 species, eight species groups and one hybrid in the national list. Member states may set their own restrictions on these species.
