Pol09 Contamination from invasive plant species – Above Green

(2 credits available)

Aim

To ensure that there are no invasive plant species on the asset’s site.

Question

Are there any non-native invasive plant species growing on the site?

Credits	Answer	Select a single answer
0	A	Question not answered
0	B	Yes
2	C	No
2	D	Yes. Mitigation measures are in place to control the spread or eliminate the species.

Assessment criteria

Criterion	Assessment criteria	Applicable answer
1	A suitably qualified ecologist (SQE) has conducted an ecologist assessment of the site. The report categorises the vegetation on-site and confirms whether non-native plant species are present.	C,D
2	There are non-native invasive plant species on the site. Mitigation measures are in place to control or eliminate the species, as advised by the SQE who conducted the ecological assessment of the site.	D

Evidence

Criteria	Evidence requirement
-	The evidence below is not exhaustive, please also refer to the ‘BREEAM evidential requirements’ section in the scope of the Guidance for appropriate evidence types which can be used to demonstrate compliance.
All	Report(s) from contaminated land professional(s).
All	Written confirmation from the asset or site owner that further intrusive investigation and remedial works, as appropriate, have been planned.

Definitions

Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE):

See the definition in Lue 02 Ecological features of planted area

Non-native invasive plant species:

These are species that do not originate or occur naturally in a particular habitat and whose presence causes ecological, environmental, and/ or economic harm. The SQE’s professional judgement is needed to confirm what plant species can be categorised as the above. E.g. Japanese knotweed and Giant Hogweed would typically be categorised as invasive species in the UK.