An expert says it is 'xenophobic' to talk about non-native plants as menaces

Fred Pearce says the effects of Japanese knotweed – which strangles other plants – and invasive small animals like grey squirrels are exaggerated grossly

There are fears that the plant, which can grow 8in a day, is difficult to eradicate and can knock thousands off house prices

To gardeners, Japanese knotweed and other foreign invaders are a menace.

But an environmental expert says that when we talk about non-native species in such terms, we’re just being ‘xenophobic’.

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Writer Fred Pearce says the effects of the knotweed – which strangles other plants – and invasive creatures such as grey squirrels and foreign beavers are being exaggerated.

An environmental expert says that when we talk about non-native species such as Japenese knotweed as nuances, we¿re just being ¿xenophobic¿

By comparison, our own native problem species, from over-grazing red deer to nettles and brambles, are not seen as such a threat because they are British, he says.

Mr Pearce is set to give a talk at the Edinburgh Science Festival arguing that foreign animals are being ‘demonised’. Grey squirrels, introduced to Britain in the 19th century, have wiped out large numbers of native red squirrels because they carry a pox which is harmless to them but deadly to reds.

But Mr Pearce said whether British squirrels were grey or red made no difference to the natural world. Speaking ahead of his talk on Thursday, he said: ‘If you look at the language used to describe these “invasive species”, it is very xenophobic and suggests that anything foreign is bad. It is terrifyingly similar to the language which can be used about immigrants invading the country.’

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There are fears over invasive wildlife such as Japanese knotweed, which can grow 8in a day, is difficult to eradicate and can knock thousands off the price of homes.

But Mr Pearce believes the threat of knotweed is over-hyped. He said scientists present species as being more dangerous if they are foreign. The researcher, author of the book, The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature’s Salvation, said: ‘There was one example of beavers which have either come back to Britain naturally or were reintroduced on the sly.

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‘There was debate over whether these were American or European beavers, and DNA tests were done, with the intention of exterminating them if they were American. This is ridiculous, as there is no difference between American and European beavers.’