What does it mean to be British? This question obsesses many of the politicians in this country but today it is applied in a rather different context. For today a proposed list of invasive species has been released, containing 74 new additions (reported in the Daily Telegraph, Independent and Daily Mail).

We have always had a somewhat troubled relationship with our wildlife in Britain, eliminating wolves, beavers and several other interesting species years ago. Debate over the reintroduction of these rages periodically and what “British Wildlife” actually is is a difficult question.

Take one example on the list – the wild boar. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which drew up the list, says:

Once native to Britain, this species became extinct in the wild in the 17th Century, but has become re-established in small feral populations in some areas. It can cause damage to seminatural habitats and crops, and may be a vector of livestock disease, as well as potentially posing a danger to the public. Listing is proposed to prevent its increase in the wild where problems are most likely to occur.

Once you’re out, it seems, we don’t want you back.

How about the Chinese Water Deer? These are a threatened species in their natural habitat but are doing ok in England. Not that we want them here, apparently. “Invasive non-native species pose a very serious threat to our native plants, animals and the local environments they live in, costing the British economy around £2 billion per year. The threat is greater than ever with climate change,” says Joan Ruddock, minister for climate change and biodiversity.

Climate change, in the broadest sense, make it rather tricky for those attempting to draw a line in the sand. As the planet warms species will make their way north to our fair isle. There is a balance to be struck between keeping out genuinely invasive species and the impossible task of freezing an eco-system at one point in time. Let’s have the wild boar back please, but you can keep your Chinese Water Deer.

Image: Britain from space / NASA