No more sale of Ticino palm and cherry laurel from September
Published: Wednesday, Aug 21st 2024, 09:40
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As of September 1, 31 immigrant plants may no longer be sold or given away in Switzerland. This affects popular garden plants such as cherry laurel, Ticino palm and butterfly bush.
However, plants on the prohibited list that are already in gardens do not have to be uprooted. They are not affected by the ban.
In addition, the Federal Council has extended the so-called handling ban. This means that a number of invasive alien plants may no longer be used, i.e. they may no longer be placed on the market, planted or propagated. This ban applies to the tree of heaven, ragweed and giant hogweed, among others.
Insect habitat and food
The prohibited plants are invasive neophytes. Neophytes are plants that have been introduced to Switzerland in recent times. While some of these species sooner or later disappear on their own, others manage to gain a foothold in Switzerland.
Some of them spread so much that they displace native plants. They are considered invasive. This not only reduces biodiversity among plants, it also has consequences for other species. For example, for insects, caterpillars, fungi, mites or butterflies, which are deprived of their habitat or food by the displacement of certain plants.
Every sixth immigrated species becomes invasive
In Switzerland, there are currently around 1300 alien animals, plants and fungi established in the environment. 730 of these are plant species. Around one in six of these are considered invasive. In the case of plants, this is just under 90 species.
The damage caused by these biological invasions is considerable. According to a study published last year in the journal "Environmental Sciences Europe", invasive plant and animal species cause damage amounting to a good 26 billion euros in Europe alone.
Ticino palms are popular
One of the best-known plants on the ban list is probably the Ticino palm. It is spreading explosively at low altitudes in southern Switzerland. According to studies by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), this increases the risk of forest fires, weakens the protective function against natural hazards and damages biodiversity.
Despite the negative consequences, the Asian invaders enjoy a good reputation among the Swiss population. In a nationwide survey conducted in 2023, more than half (59%) of the 2,000 participants had a positive view of the palm tree.
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