USING the natural enemies of invasive weeds, like fungi or insects, to control them is a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to chemical or mechanical methods and has been used with great success in other countries, according to Defra.
The use of these natural enemies to control costly, destructive invasive species like Japanese knotweed in the United Kingdom is now far more likely following the publication of Defra's review of non-native species policy.
This approach, known as biological control, could greatly reduce the costs of controlling Japanese knotweed, currently estimated at £1.56bn, according to the Defra report.
The review also cited promising early results from a CABI research project investigating the biological control of this weed.
As a result, the report recommended more funding for such "novel" control techniques and the establishment of centres of excellence devoted to these methods.
CAB International (CABI) weed bio-control specialist Dick Shaw said, "The technique can also control insect pests and, potentially, plant diseases, but is not currently used widely in the UK.
"It is not always appreciated that invasive plants, plant diseases and insect pests pose a far greater challenge to both economies and biodiversity than invasive vertebrates.
"Biological control is a `tried and tested' technique used as a cornerstone of integrated strategies in other countries to control these problems," said Mr Shaw.
"These controls could play a similar role in this country and the report's recommendations make this far more likely. The UK will be able to learn from the experience of other countries like Australia, India and the United States."
CABI said that it welcomed the Defra report and agreed with its focus on prevention strategies and pest risk analysis.
"We share the report's focus on priorities for actions, and the opportunities this presents, especially in the prevention of new species coming to this country," said Mr Shaw