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Osnabrück residents triumph in the Neozoan Challenge: 400 invasive species discovered!
Lower Saxony shines in the “Neozoan Challenge”: two participants take the top places in the competition for invasive animal species.
Osnabrück residents triumph in the Neozoan Challenge: 400 invasive species discovered!
The federal government takes care of our local fauna and flora! With the “Neozoa Challenge” competition, a committed project was launched that aims to document invasive animal species in Germany. These species, introduced into the country through human influence, often cause problems as they can displace native species and alter habitats. Thanks to the competition, over 400 foreign animal species were identified, which is of great value for nature conservation research, as NDR reports.
The challenge lasted a whole year and was themed “Aliens Among Us”. Participants submitted around 155,000 observations, so the results are impressive. Irina Würtele from Osnabrück took first place with an impressive 117 documented species, followed by Philipp Schroeder from Düsseldorf in second place with 113 species. Andreas Michalik from Wilhelmshaven came in third with 95 documented species. Notable discoveries include the American rhea and the Odontoplatys suturalis bug, both of which demonstrate the diversity of the challenges posed by neozoans.
Introduced species and their threats
What exactly are neozoans? These animal species have moved to new areas due to human activity. According to Avi Fauna, invasive species are not only animals, but also plants, fungi or microorganisms that often cause significant damage there. It is particularly important to emphasize that invasive species can endanger biodiversity, displace local populations and make habitats unusable.
The economic consequences of such invasive species affect numerous sectors, including agriculture, forestry and fisheries. To counteract this, the EU is calling for preventive measures to prevent the introduction of new species and to combat already established populations. The WWF points out that more than 1,015 alien species are currently registered in Germany, of which 449 have turned out to be invasive species. Among these there are also many birds, such as the Egyptian goose or the black-headed rudder duck, which have already gained a foothold.
Long-term significance and research
A key goal of the competition was to emphasize the importance of continued monitoring and reporting of such species. Viktor Hartung from the LWL Museum in Münster emphasizes that the collected data sets are of great value for future research. Continuous reporting of findings is crucial to assessing the spread potential of invasive species and developing appropriate protection strategies. According to the current IPBES report, there are more than 37,000 alien species worldwide, of which over 3,500 are invasive. This shows that we are far from reaching our goal when it comes to fighting these “aliens”.
At a time when climate change continues to progress, it is particularly important that we as a society show a good hand in dealing with these challenges. The competition and the data collected are a step in the right direction - and perhaps they will motivate some people to also take action and protect their surroundings!