The unwelcome raccoon flat share in the attic or the slime trail of the Spanish slug in the devastated salad bed: both phenomena have one thing in common. In both cases, the “culprits” are so-called invasive species. These are animals that do not naturally occur in Germany, but find excellent living conditions here – and often upset the local ecosystems.
Some of these “introduced” animals displace native species – for example because they compete with them for food or habitat and are more successful in doing so. Or quite simply: because they eat native animals. Others fit easily into the new ecosystem.
Invasive species can become a problem for native ecosystems
Some species – such as insects – can be poisonous or threaten harvests and thus pose a huge problem. There are programs worldwide that regulate the handling of invasive species, for example at the level of the European Union and also within Germany.
The fact that animal species are migrating from their ancestral areas is not a new phenomenon. It’s probably as old as evolution itself, as early as the Stone Age animals spread beyond their ancestral homelands.
With the onset of the Early Modern Period and after Christopher Columbus first sailed to the Americas in 1492, the spread of invasive species around the world accelerated. People took animals with them on a large scale when they migrated – whether consciously as pets and farm animals or unconsciously as “stowaways” on ships or car tires.
In Germany and Europe there are probably tens of thousands of animals that could be described as invasive species. Our photo series is a small selection and shows a few of the most striking examples.
Sources: MDR, Nabu, Bavarian radio, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, German Animal Welfare Association, Avi Fauna – Birds in Germany, Deutschlandfunk Nova“agricultural today“, NDR, Federal Ministry for the Environment and Nature Conservation, Geo.de“BZ“, Federal Environment Agency“Southgerman newspaper“, Peta.de “hunter magazine“, “world.de“