Risk prioritization of bamboo species in the EPPO region

Bamboos are popular ornamental plants in the EPPO region though some of themhave been observed to escape the confines of planting and establish in the naturalenvironment. The aim of this study is to produce a risk-based list of bamboospecies which are recorded in the natural environment in the EPPO region, and todetermine if any of the species require a pest risk analysis. Forty-two bamboo specieswere identified as being present in the natural environment in the EPPO region. Ofthese, 11 species fulfil the three pre-selected criteria for species to be consideredpotentially harmful: (1) the species is naturalized in at least one EPPO country; (2)the species has a running dispersal behaviour (leptomorph); and (3) there is evidenceof invasive behaviour in at least one country. These 11 species were prioritized usingthe EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants. Owing to their high spreadpotential and potential high impact, three species, namely Phyllostachys aurea,Pseudosasa japonica and Sasa palmata, proceeded to the second stage of theprioritization process (risk management stage). All three species were identified ashaving a high priority for a pest risk analysis. In 2024, the EPPO Panel on InvasiveAlien Plants agreed with the results of the study but noted that further informationon impacts would be beneficial and therefore the Panel agreed that Ph. aurea andS. palmata should be added to the EPPO Alert List along with the already includedP. japonica. This will raise awareness of these species in the region and furtherinformation can be gathered to support the development of a risk assessment.