Testing alternative strategies for management of invasive alien tree species at the expansion front through individual based modelling

POWELL, PRISCILA ANA; MONTTI, LIA; PALMER, STEPHEN C.F.; TRAVIS, JUSTIN M. J.; BURSLEM, DAVID F. R. P.; PONCHON, AURORE

Pucón

Conferencia; 16TH International Conference on Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions; 2023

EMAPI international board

The mitigation of negative impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) through managementis a major challenge worldwide. Predicting and preventing IAS range expansions is aglobal conservation objective but empirical knowledge on how different managementstrategies affect invasion outcomes is limited. Individual-based models (IBMs) providepotential tools for predicting which of a set of alternative potential managementstrategies is likely to be most effective. Here we used a customized version of Range-Shifter, an individual-based spatially explicit modelling platform to simulate the resultsof different control methods on the population dynamics and range expansion propensityof an already established population of the invasive tree Ligustrum lucidum. We testedwhich life stages were targeted by control, how many sites were targeted and where thosesites were located and how changing strategy over time affected outcomes. Resultsindicate that controlling all life stages is essential for effective management of L.lucidum. However, a strategy that switches after five years from controlling all stagesto focusing exclusively on early life stages can be effective. Our findings illustrate howIBMs can be used to test different methods to control IAS populations in the invadedrange. This approach can contribute for IAS management planning, reducing time andcosts in fieldwork and/or identify limitations on successful invasive species control,due to allow simulating multiple strategies and considering their potential outcomesat both population and landscape level when addressing IAS.