Moving towards global strategies for managing invasive alien species

LAURA A. MEYERSON; PAUCHARD, ANÍBAL; BRUNDU, GIUSEPPE; JAMES T. CARLTON; JOSÉ L. HIERRO; C. KEUFFER; M. K. PANDIT; PETR PYSEK; DAVID M. RICHARDSON; J. G. PACKER

Global Plant Invasions

Springer International Press

Año: 2022; p. 331 - 360

As human communities become increasingly interconnected through transport and trade, there has been a concomitant rise in both acci- dental and intentional species introductions, resulting in biological invasions. A warming global climate and the rapid movement of peo- ple and vessels across the globe have opened new air and sea routes, accelerated propagule pressure, and altered habitat disturbance regimes, all of which act synergistically to.trigger and sustain invasions. The complexity and interconnectedness of biological inva- sions with commerce, culture, and human- mediated natural disturbances make prevention and management of invasive alien species (IAS) particularly challenging. Voluntary actions by single countries have proven to be insufficient in addressing biolog- ical invasions. Large gaps between science, management, and policy at various geopolitical scales still exist and necessitate an urgent need for more integrative approach across multiple scales and multiple stakeholder groups to bridge those gaps and reduce the impacts of biological invasions on biodiversity and human well-being. An evidence-based global strategy is therefore needed to predict, pre- vent, and manage the impacts of IAS. Here we define global strategies as frameworks for evidence-based visions, policy agreements, and commitments that address the patterns, mechanisms, and impact of biological inva- sions. Many existing global, regional, and the- matic initiatives provide a strong foundation to inform a global IAS strategy. We propose five recommendations to progress these toward global strategies against biological invasions, including better standards and tools for long-term monitoring, techniques for eval- uation of impacts across taxa and regions, modular regulatory frameworks that integrate incentives and compliance mechanisms with respect to diverse transcultural needs, biose- curity awareness and measures, and synergies with other conservation strategies. This pro- posed approach for IAS is inclusive, adaptive, and flexible and moves toward global strate- gies for better preventing and managing bio- logical invasions. As existing research-policy-management networks mature and others emerge, the accelerating need for effective global strategies against biological invasions can finally be met.