A major North/South study of the threats posed to Ireland's native wildlife and habitats by invasive species has recommended the formulation of contingency plans to meet the threat.
Ten key recommendations have been made in the report, which examined the threat posed to native species such as the red squirrel, white-clawed crayfish, red deer and earthworms.
It also examined the specific habitat types under threat including freshwater river systems, ponds, mesotrophic lakes, native woodland, lowland heath, coastal floodplains and saltmarshes and sand dunes.
Commissioned by the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Republic, it listed the damage caused by species such as the grey squirrel, the zebra mussel, the New Zealand flatworm and rhododendron.
In terms of predation, the New Zealand flatworm was stated to be the most serious predatory introduced species in Ireland due to the choice of earthworms as a prey item.
"Earthworms are fundamental in maintaining soil quality and their loss of reduction in numbers could have extensive economic impacts on agricultural production," said the report.
It also charted the damage to other fish stocks caused by the introduction of the roach to rivers and the damage to native Atlantic salmon and brown trout by the introduction of rudd to Irish rivers.
Another case study carried out by the experts at Quercus, Northern Ireland's research centre for biodiversity at Queen's University Belfast, who prepared the report, is on the impact of giant hogweed on Irish river habitats.
The key recommendation is that detailed risk assessments and contingency plans should be urgently prepared for species that are likely to invade Ireland in advance of their arrival.
"Barriers to a rapid and decisive response to the new invasions should be minimised by high-level cross-jurisdictional and inter-departmental support for and funding for contingency plans," said the report.
It recommended that a new legal framework be developed specifically for dealing with the problem and a framework, including support for specialist identification skills, for the collation and cross-Border exchange of information on non-native species.
It also stressed the need to develop and maintain a comprehensive database of species similar to the centre established by the Ulster Museum in 1994.