The Netherlands: national initiatives on Code of conduct
The answers provided by the Netherlands to the questionnaire on the implementation of the Council of Europe/EPPO Code of conduct on horticulture and invasive alien plants in European and Mediterranean countries are summarized below. The general conclusions of the questionnaire are presented in EPPO RS 2011/144.
After 3 years of negotiations, a Code of conduct on aquatic plants was signed in the Netherlands in February 2010.
Stage and scale of implementation: Currently implemented at a national scale.
Partners associated: Signatories of the Code of conduct represented both the public and private sectors: public management authorities in particular managers of water boards, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Safety, as well as stakeholders with an economic interest in the sale of aquatic plants including organizations representing producers, importers, retailers and garden centers.
Main requirements of the Code: signatories of the Code of conduct should stop selling the following 6 species in the Netherlands as they are considered to be invasive: Crassula helmsii (Crassulaceae, EPPO A2 List), Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrocharitaceae, EPPO Alert List), Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (Apiaceae, EPPO A2 List - prohibited since 2010 in the Netherlands), Ludwigia grandiflora and L. peploides (Onagraceae, EPPO List of IAP) and Myriophyllum aquaticum (Haloragaceae, EPPO List of IAP).
Seven additional species will be on sale only accompanied by recommendations for their appropriate use and disposal. These species are: Azolla spp. (Salviniaceae), Cabomba caroliniana (Cabombaceae, EPPO List of IAP), Egeria densa (Hydrocharitaceae, EPPO List of IAP), Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae, EPPO A2 List), Myriophyllum heterophyllum (Haloragaceae, EPPO Alert List), Pistia stratiotes (Araceae, EPPO Alert List) and Salvinia molesta (Salviniaceae, EPPO Alert List).
Communication activities: A communication campaign is part of the implementation of the Code of conduct, and several documents are produced for a wide audience. A leaflet for the general public providing information on how to use the plants wisely will be available in garden centers and pet shops selling aquatic plants. It can also be downloaded from the website of the Dutch Plant Protection Service. A similar leaflet to raise awareness among land managers includes a field guide to assist field staff in the identification of the 20 most invasive aquatic alien plants.
Monitoring of the implementation of the Code of conduct: The Dutch Plant Protection Service will closely monitor the compliance with the Code of conduct and the effects of the communication campaign.
Sources
The Dutch Plant Protection Service website: http://www.minlnv.nl/invasievewaterplanten (at present in Dutch only)
Contact: ;Johan van Valkenburg, Dutch Plant Protection Service, E-mail: J.L.C.H.van.valkenburg@minlnv.nl