Title: Invasiveness of biofuel crops and potential harm to natural habitats and native species
Abstract: Several factors prompted the development of biofuel cropping within agroecosystems. These include a growth in population and energy demand, geopolitical instability linked to demand for fossil fuels, concerns about global warming and calls for 'carbon neutral' energy. In anthropogenic manipulated agroecosystem, many factors multiply the creation of newly available niches. Consequently, the occurrence and establishment of invasive alien species with the potential to spread and cause harm, or constrain elements of semi-natural habitat or vegetation remnants may increase. The invasiveness of weedy germplasm may also be accelerated by the presence of cultivated species, escaping from fields through crop movement or on livestock. This risk of invasion is likely to rise in the future use of agricultural land for widespread and intensive cultivation of crops for energy production. In fact, in the recent past, many government reports, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and scientific literature have highlighted the potential impact that biofuel crops may have on natural, semi-natural and agriculture ecosystems. The characteristics of energy crop species, of their habitats, of cropping systems and of farm subsidies are a “weedy merging combination” that could transform farmland into a source of new invasive species that may spread into vegetation remnant, ultimately harming the functionality and biodiversity within agroecosystems. Being the crop escape a consequence of the farming system a precautionary principle must be taken into account even if no immediate evidence of halt to native habitats is present. [Roberto Crosti (2010) Invasiveness of biofuel crops and potential harm to natural habitats and native species. Report to the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, 30th meeting, Strasbourg, 6 – 9 December 2010}