What’s new: Your recently imported ornamental tree might have a stowaway spider or lizard hidden in its branches, a recent study warns. What’s more, these accidentally transported wildlife can turn into invasive pests in their new environment, researchers say.
What the study says:
- The increasing popularity of imported ornamental plants has resulted in a multibillion-dollar global market. But as the trade grows and expands geographically, so does the risk of biodiversity loss in source countries and the introduction of animals that could become potential agricultural pests in their new environments, the study’s authors write.
- By looking at a 2017-2018 database of 8,000 animals found in ornamental plants at customs in the Netherlands and public reports of intercepted pests in the U.K. between 2021 and 2023, the researchers found that more than 80% of the “hitchhiking” animals are insects, followed by spiders.
- Some incidents of exotic amphibians and reptiles have also been reported by people working with ornamental plants in shops and airports. For example, potted olive trees from Italy are likely responsible for the introduction of the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and the Moorish gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) to Spain and other areas outside their native range, according to studies cited in the paper.
- The study found a small number of reported illegal ornamental plant seizures over the last decade. But this is likely to be underreported, the authors write in The Conversation. “It’s hard for the layperson to tell a legal cactus from an endangered one, whereas it’s pretty obvious a rather colourful lizard found on a pot plant in Britain should not be there,” they add.
- The illegal trade of ornamental plants has already likely caused local extinctions of slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum spp.) in Southeast Asia, Sprenger’s tulip (Tulipa sprengeri) in Turkey, and the Chilean blue crocus (Tecophilaea cyanocrocus), the authors write, based on a review of previously published research.
What this means:
Given the high trade volume in ornamental plants — the export value of cut flowers alone reached $10 billion and live plants $13 billion in 2022 — there’s a high chance that contaminants are transported, the researchers write.
They call for “a proactive approach to better understand the potential risks associated with changing supply chains and emerging markets,” adding there’s a need for standardized data collection to inform policy.
In a media statement, the authors cautioned the trade is also important for economies worldwide since it employs many people, especially in rural areas.
“We need to push to make the industry more sustainable through things like certifications and better regulation, and to work with those involved in the trade to better understand the risks and how to mitigate them,” said study co-author Silviu Petrovan from the University of Cambridge, U.K.
Banner image of a flower warehouse in Netherlands by Naaldwijk Rijksoverheid via University of Cambridge.
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