{"id":35072,"date":"2024-08-30T11:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/articles\/piante-invasive-biodiversita-artico\/"},"modified":"2024-09-05T13:17:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T11:17:55","slug":"invasive-plants-artic-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/en\/environment\/invasive-plants-artic-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive plants threaten Arctic biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biodiversity at risk: Norwegian research provides a picture of the growing presence of invasive plants on Svalbard. “We need to prevent the phenomenon,” scientists explain<\/h2>\n

by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n

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The biodiversity<\/strong> crisis spares no one. Not even the most remote and isolated territories of the planet, which are also victims of an increasingly widespread and worrying phenomenon: the assault of new plant species. Here is how it works: non-native varieties<\/a> compete with local plants<\/strong>, reducing their presence and negatively impacting the balance of the ecosystem. A worldwide phenomenon that, for some time, has also been affecting the distant Svalbard<\/strong> Islands in the Arctic Ocean archipelago. This was revealed in a study<\/a> by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology<\/strong> in Trondheim.<\/p>\n

\"Ricchezza

Potential richness of non-native vascular plant species across Svalbard under current and two future climate scenarios. SOURCE: Speed JDM, Pertierra LR, Westergaard KB (2024) The potential area of occupancy of non-native plants across a warming high-Arctic archipelago: Implications for strategic biosecurity management. NeoBiota 93: 157-175. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3897\/neobiota.93.114854<\/p><\/div>\n

More and more non-native plants are found in Svalbard<\/h5>\n

\u2018So far, the Arctic has managed to avoid one of the most serious threats to biodiversity on Earth,\u2019 says a statement from the same university. “This is also true for Svalbard, but things could change very quickly, and the researchers want to find out how to counteract this threat.” The thing, the Norwegian scientists explain, is that new, non-native plant species are increasingly being found<\/strong> in the archipelago. A phenomenon that inspires two possible explanations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreased human activity heightens the risk of new plant species being introduced. And climate change<\/strong> increases the risk of invasive species establishing themselves,” explains Kristine Bakke Westergaard<\/strong>, researcher and co-author of the study.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On one hand, there is the problem of the lack of controls on incoming visitors and the potential contamination<\/strong> from soil and seeds transported unknowingly through clothes and shoes. On the other hand, the changing environmental conditions<\/strong> of the land make it more suitable for plant species that would not once have been able to develop.<\/p>\n

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Ecoacustica: i suoni del suolo misurano la biodiversit\u00e0<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n