395 invasive alien species discovered in Hainan
395 invasive alien species have been discovered in Hainan Province, China, of which more than 60% are invasive plants.
According to China News Service, in recent years, as the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port continues to deepen, Hainan Province’s foreign exchanges and cooperation have continued to increase, and the pressure for the prevention and control of invasive alien species has continued to increase. Against this background, Hainan Province carried out a census of invasive alien species from 2021 to 2023, and the census covered all towns and villages in the province.
Through a three-year comprehensive census, a total of 395 invasive alien species were discovered locally, including 44 species of invasive plant pathogens, 87 species of invasive pests, 252 species of invasive plants, and 12 species of invasive aquatic animals.
According to the report, experts said that invasive alien species rob the living space of other organisms, which will lead to ecological imbalance and the extinction of local species, posing a serious threat to biodiversity protection and ecological security. Through the census, Hainan Province has found out the types, distribution range, occurrence area, and degree of harm of invasive alien species.
Based on the basic data obtained from the census, Hainan Province has adopted a precise prevention and control policy of "one policy, one policy" to carry out scientific prevention and control of invasive alien species that are more harmful. For example, using the innovative patented technology of "spraying paraffin oil solvent by plant protection drones", we have continued to carry out water hyacinth prevention and control work in 16 cities and counties including Haikou and Danzhou, effectively treating about 600 kilometers of rivers and treating a water area of about 72,072 acres.