The spread of non-native invasive species has been highlighted as one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss world-wide.  Impacts of non-native species can be catastrophic, especially on island ecosystems. 

In 1995, the JNCC and the British Ornithologists Union  organised a one-day conference on the introduction and naturalisation of birds which reviewed the past and current status of non-native birds in the UK.  The conference was highly successful and gave a major focus to the issue of non-native birds in the UK with lively discussion of a range of policy-related issues.  This led to a review of the process of establishment of such species and the terms that best describe their status (Holme & Stroud 1995) as well as a major review by BOU of the categorization of species on the British List (Holmes et al. 1998).

Another of the specific recommendations arsing from the conference related to the need for better information on the spread of non-native birds in the UK.  Following the conference, all major bird monitoring schemes fully included non-native species within their remit.  In particular, from the 1996 breeding season, the Rare Breeding Birds Panel started to collate and publish breeding records of rare non-native species. 

The proceedings of the conference (Holmes & Simmonds 1996) were published by The Stationery Office in 1996 but have been out of print for some years.  They are available here.

Holmes, J.S. & Simons, J.R. (eds.) 1996. The Introduction and Naturalisation of Birds. London: The Stationery Office.  136 pp.