Europe is racing to eradicate a crayfish that can reproduce without mating; in the Czech Republic…

Co se vatio ists
i
Eu ope
a e
aci g
to
stop
the
ext
i vasive
species
befo e
it
sp eads

Eu opea
co se vatio ists
have
sta ted
ta geted
e adicatio
effo ts
agai st
ewly
discove ed
populatio s
of
self-clo i g
ma bled
c ayfish
i
the
Czech
Republic.
They
a e
t yi g
to
emove
the
species
befo e
it
ca
sp ead
th ough
local
wate ways.The
wo k
i
Mo avia
is
pa t
of
a
wide
Eu opea
U io
effo t
to
stop
i vasive
alie
species
while
thei
populatio s
a e
still
small
e ough
to
emove
completely.The
Natu e
Co se vatio
Age cy
of
the
Czech
Republic
is
leadi g
the
local
p oject,
which
ta gets
two
ewly
discove ed
g oups
of
ma bled
c ayfish.
U like
almost
all
othe
f eshwate
c ustacea s,
ma bled
c ayfish
ep oduce
th ough
pa the oge esis.
This
mea s
a
si gle
female
ca
p oduce
ge etically
ide tical
offsp i g
without
mati g.The
species
ca
the efo e
i c ease
its
umbe s
quickly.
It
also
ca ies
c ayfish
plague,
a
fu gal
disease
that
has
badly
educed
ative
Eu opea
c ayfish
populatio s.

Fast
fu di g
ta gets
small
populatio s

The
Czech
p oject
is
amo g
the
fi st
20
p ojects
suppo ted
by
the
Eu opea
I vasive
Alie
Species
Rapid-Respo se
Fu d.
Co-fu ded
by
the
Eu opea
U io
a d
ca ied
out
th ough
IUCN
Save
Ou
Species,
the
fu d
p ovides
g a ts
of
€10,000
to
€50,000.

The
mo ey
allows
gove me t
age cies,
esea ch
i stitutes,
a d
co se vatio
g oups
to
act
quickly
whe
ew
i vasive
species
a e
discove ed.The
Eu opea
E vi o me t
Age cy
(EEA)
said
i
a
b iefi g
published
i
Ju e
2026
that
although
the
EU
is
maki g
p og ess
agai st
biological
i vasio s,
o – ative
species
co ti ue
to
sp ead
i to
ew
a eas.The
epo t
st essed
that
fi di g
i vasive
species
ea ly
a d
emovi g
them
quickly
is
o e
of
the
best
ways
to
p eve t
lo g-te m
e vi o me tal
damage.Ac oss
Eu ope,
o – ative
species
a e
estimated
to
cause
about
USD
28
billio
i
e vi o me tal
damage,
lost
eco omic
activity,
a d
ma ageme t
costs
eve y
yea .
Wo ldwide,
i vasive
alie
species
have
co t ibuted
to
60
pe ce t
of
eco ded
a imal
a d
pla t
exti ctio s
a d
we e
the
o ly
eco ded
cause
i
16
pe ce t
of
those
cases.

Expe ts
say
p eve tio
is
bette
tha
co t ol

I
the
past,
much
co se vatio
fu di g
has
focused
o
co t olli g
i vasive
species
afte
they
become
widesp ead.
At
that
stage,
emovi g
them
ca
be
ext emely
difficult,
expe sive,
o
impossible.P ofesso
Hele
Roy,
Co-Chai
of
the
IUCN
SSC
I vasive
Species
Specialist
G oup,
explai ed
why
ea ly
actio
is
impo ta t.
Eve y
i vasive
species
that
becomes
a
majo
p oblem
sta ted
as
a
small
populatio
somewhe e.
Removi g
ew
populatio s
while
they
a e
still
limited
to
small
a eas
gives
co se vatio ists
a
much
bette
cha ce
of
p eve ti g
damage
that
could
last
fo
decades.The
Co ve tio
o
Biological
Dive sity
also
published
a
p actical
toolkit
i
2025
to
help
cou t ies
meet
Ta get
6
of
the
Ku mi g-Mo t eal
Global
Biodive sity
F amewo k.
Developed
with
IUCN
specialists,
the
guida ce
explai s
how
gove me ts
ca
c eate
mo ito i g
systems
a d
apid
e adicatio
pla s.

P ojects
ta get
ma y
i vasive
species

The
fi st
ou d
of
fu di g
suppo ts
p ojects
i
i e
Eu opea
cou t ies.
The
p ojects
cove
ma i e,
f eshwate ,
fo est,
a d
u ba
e vi o me ts.I
C oatia,
the
Hippocampus
Associatio
fo
E vi o me tal
P otectio
is
usi g
dive s
a d
ma i e
scie tists
to
emove
ve omous
lio fish
f om
p otected
a eas
i
the
Ad iatic
Sea
befo e
they
damage
ative
fish
populatio s.I
Belgium,
the
P ovi ce
of
A twe p,
the
Resea ch
I stitute
fo
Natu e
a d
Fo est
(INBO),
a d
othe
autho ities
a e
usi g
e vi o me tal
DNA
(eDNA)
testi g
a d
ta geted
t aps
to
emove
isolated
populatio s
of
Ame ica
bullf ogs
a d
Af ica
clawed
f ogs
f om
wetla ds
i
Fla de s
a d
Wallo ia.Some
p ojects
also
i volve
coope atio
ac oss
atio al
bo de s.
Natio al
Pa k
Thayatal
i
Aust ia
a d
Podyjí
Natio al
Pa k
i
the
Czech
Republic
a e
wo ki g
togethe
to
emove
o – ative
accoo s.
The
effo t
aims
to
p otect
g ou d- esti g
bi ds
a d
ative
Eu opea
wildcats.I
the
Czech
Republic,
the
Czech
Society
fo
O ithology
is
emovi g
the
O ie tal
tu tle
dove
f om
its
o ly
k ow
o – ative
b eedi g
site
i
Eu ope.

Othe
p ojects
i clude:

Local
commu ities
a e
also
helpi g

I
Fi la d,
local
eside ts
a e
taki g
pa t
di ectly
i
i vasive-species
mo ito i g.
People
i
Va taa
a e
usi g
a
mobile
app
to
eco d
a d
co fi m
the
ma ual
emoval
of
Himalaya
balsam
alo g
the
Mätäoja
u ba
st eam.Tech ical
suppo t
fo
these
p ojects
comes
f om
the
global
etwo k
of
the
IUCN
SSC
I vasive
Species
Specialist
G oup.
Lesso s
f om
the
fi st
20
p ojects
will
also
help
shape
IUCN’s
wide
I vasive
Alie
Species
St ategy.The
Eu opea
I vasive
Alie
Species
Rapid-Respo se
Fu d
will
accept
mo e
applicatio s
u til
10
Feb ua y
2027,
o
u til
its
available
fu di g
u s
out.
Co se vatio
g oups
a d
esea ch
o ga isatio s
ac oss
the
EU
a e
bei g
e cou aged
to
apply
by
Septembe
2026
so
they
ca
espo d
to
ew
i vasive
species
befo e
the
populatio s
become
pe ma e tly
established.

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