Baseline Distribution of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern

A current EU geographical distribution of spatial information for the 37 Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Union concern (IAS Regulation 1143/2014) is set, based on the best available knowledge, resulting from an assessment of data aggregated through the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) in collaboration with the Member States (MS) Competent Authorities of 18 EU countries. This baseline is an important tool supporting the implementation of the IAS Regulation and also provides a factual basis for the review of the application of the IAS Regulation. Ultimately, the information included can be used for monitoring the achievement of Target 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 for combatting IAS, but also to the implementation of other EU policies with requirements on alien species, such as the Birds and Habitats Directives, and the Marine Strategy and Water Framework Directives.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Updates on the baseline distribution of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (2019)

The geographical distribution (baseline) of the 37 Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Union concern listed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141, under the frame of Regulation (EU) 2014/1143, was published in 2017 as a JRC science-for-policy report. It includes validated country level occurrences by 18 EU Member States (MS) Competent Authorities and validated grid level occurrences by 13 MS Competent Authorities. Since then, three additional MS Competent Authorities (Bulgaria, Italy, and Luxemburg) provided validated data. Furthermore, two MS Competent Authorities (Finland, Cyprus) supplemented their data provided in the baseline. The current report includes the additional information provided by the aforementioned MS Competent Authorities. This information updates the information associated to the corresponding species and MS of the baseline of the first 37 IAS of Union concern. This updated spatial information informs the implementation of Art. 16 of the EU Regulation 1143/2014, dictating the mandatory notification of early detections of listed species to the European Commission and to the other MS.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Linking accounts for ecosystem services and benefits to the economy through bridging (LISBETH)

The acronym LISBETH stands for LInking accounts for ecosystem Services and Benefits to the Economy THrough bridging. LISBETH is based on INCA (Integrated system for Natural Capital Accounting) and is meant to facilitate the use of INCA accounts in traditional economic analytical tools. Three practical examples are described and commented on. The first application shows how to combine crop provision accounts with the conventional accounts related to agricultural products and their trade. Combined account presentations are useful for policymakers, not only for technical analytical purposes but also for communicating with a wider non-technical audience. The second application shows how to build consumption-based accounts using multiregional input–output tables; in our example we assess the water purification service embedded in traded crops. Consumption remains in fact the ultimate driver behind production processes. The third application shows how to link ecosystem services accounts to general equilibrium models to assess the economic impacts generated by changes in ecosystem services; in our example we address the impact of invasive alien species on pollination and in turn on pollination-dependent crops and their trade. The three applications provide several insights in terms of their usefulness at different steps of the policy cycle, their feasibility, their technical complexity (and thus the level of skill required) and also in terms of the primary users (from specialised analysts to a non-specialised audience).JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Invasive Alien Species impact on Ecosystem Services

Invasive Alien Species (IAS) represent a major threat to biodiversity in Europe and worldwide, capable of causing significant damages to the ecology, economy and livelihood of recipient countries. Recognising the need for a coordinated set of actions for the prevention, early eradication and management of IAS, the European Parliament and Council adopted the EU Regulation 1143/2014 (hereafter referred as the IAS Regulation; EU, 2014). In this context, the EU Member States (MS) have given priority to a subset of species named as IAS of Union concern in relation to the potential of these species to cause severe damages such to justify the adoption of dedicated measures at European level. The IAS Regulation requires the risk assessment to include a “description of the adverse impact on biodiversity and related ecosystem services” and an “assessment of the potential costs of damage” of IAS in the EU territory. Despite the availability of several methodologies for IAS impact assessment, there is still a dearth of attention and interest on the effects on socio-economic aspects at EU level. An approach for the assessment of socio-economic impacts of IAS is needed to better perceive the potential damages caused by alien species, in support to the IAS Regulation implementation, with particular reference to the enforcement of Art. 5.1 dictating the inclusion of a description of the adverse impact on biodiversity and related ecosystem services (ES) in the species risk assessment. ES can be evaluated and used to estimate the benefits deriving from nature conservation and justify costs of interventions (Maes et al., 2014). We argue that the same approach can be followed to estimate the adverse impact of IAS on our society, in relation to biodiversity loss and services decline. With this report we intend to present a novel approach for the assessment of IAS impact on ES with application in the implementation of the IAS Regulation.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Challenges and solutions in early detection, rapid response and communication about potential invasive alien species in forests

Invasive alien species (IAS) are an important threat to forests. One of the best ways to manage potential IAS is through early detection and rapid response (EDRR) strategies. However, when dealing with IAS in forests, EU regulations are divided between phytosanitary regulations and IAS regulations. A version of EDRR for the former has been in place in the EU for more than 15 years while the latter is still in the process of being implemented. During 2019, a workshop was held to gather international experts on different plant health pests and IAS. The purpose of this workshop was to identify the opportunities and difficulties in applying the EDRR system in the EU phytosanitary and IAS legislation to four species for providing suggestions to improve the EDRR system. The model species are well known and come from different trophic levels. These species were the American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis); and the plant health pests Geosmithia morbida and Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). We identified the similarities in the challenges of early detection, rapid response and communication of these species. For all species, difficulties in species identification, knowledge gaps on the pathways of spread, a lack of resources and uncertainty over which national government service was the competent authority were identified as the main challenges. Other challenges like public perception for the grey squirrel or methodological problems were species-specific. Regarding the rapid response: public perception, determination of the eradication area, sufficient scientific capacity and the lack of resources were common challenges for all species. Therefore, collaboration between institutes dealing with plant health pests and IAS can lead to better control of both groups of unwanted organisms in forests.Peer reviewe

Identifying, reducing, and communicating uncertainty in community science:A focus on alien species

Community science (also often referred to as citizen science) provides a unique opportunity to address questions beyond the scope of other research methods whilst simultaneously engaging communities in the scientific process. This leads to broad educational benefits, empowers people, and can increase public awareness of societally relevant issues such as the biodiversity crisis. As such, community science has become a favourable framework for researching alien species where data on the presence, absence, abundance, phenology, and impact of species is important in informing management decisions. However, uncertainties arising at different stages can limit the interpretation of data and lead to projects failing to achieve their intended outcomes. Focusing on alien species centered community science projects, we identified key research questions and the relevant uncertainties that arise during the process of developing the study design, for example, when collecting the data and during the statistical analyses. Additionally, we assessed uncertainties from a linguistic perspective, and how the communication stages among project coordinators, participants and other stakeholders can alter the way in which information may be interpreted. We discuss existing methods for reducing uncertainty and suggest further solutions to improve data reliability. Further, we make suggestions to reduce the uncertainties that emerge at each project step and provide guidance and recommendations that can be readily applied in practice. Reducing uncertainties is essential and necessary to strengthen the scientific and community outcomes of community science, which is of particular importance to ensure the success of projects aimed at detecting novel alien species and monitoring their dynamics across space and time

ARTEFACTS: How do we want to deal with the future of our one and only planet?

The European Commission’s Science and Knowledge Service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), decided to try working hand-in-hand with leading European science centres and museums. Behind this decision was the idea that the JRC could better support EU Institutions in engaging with the European public. The fact that European Union policies are firmly based on scientific evidence is a strong message which the JRC is uniquely able to illustrate. Such a collaboration would not only provide a platform to explain the benefits of EU policies to our daily lives but also provide an opportunity for European citizens to engage by taking a more active part in the EU policy making process for the future. A PILOT PROGRAMME To test the idea, the JRC launched an experimental programme to work with science museums: a perfect partner for three compelling reasons. Firstly, they attract a large and growing number of visitors. Leading science museums in Europe have typically 500 000 visitors per year. Furthermore, they are based in large European cities and attract local visitors as well as tourists from across Europe and beyond. The second reason for working with museums is that they have mastered the art of how to communicate key elements of sophisticated arguments across to the public and making complex topics of public interest readily accessible. That is a high-value added skill and a crucial part of the valorisation of public-funded research, never to be underestimated. Finally museums are, at present, undergoing something of a renaissance. Museums today are vibrant environments offering new techniques and technologies to both inform and entertain, and attract visitors of all demographics.JRC.H.2-Knowledge Management Methodologies, Communities and Disseminatio

Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services: An EU ecosystem assessment

This report presents an ecosystem assessment covering the total land area of the EU as well as the EU marine regions. The assessment is carried out by Joint Research Centre, European Environment Agency, DG Environment, and the European Topic Centres on Biological Diversity and on Urban, Land and Soil Systems. This report constitutes a knowledge base which can support the evaluation of the 2020 biodiversity targets. It also provides a data foundation for future assessments and policy developments, in particular with respect to the ecosystem restoration agenda for the next decade (2020-2030). The report presents an analysis of the pressures and condition of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems using a single, comparable methodology based on European data on trends of pressures and condition relative to the policy baseline 2010. The following main conclusions are drawn: - Pressures on ecosystems exhibit different trends. - Land take, atmospheric emissions of air pollutants and critical loads of nitrogen are decreasing but the absolute values of all these pressures remain too high. - Impacts from climate change on ecosystems are increasing. - Invasive alien species of union concern are observed in all ecosystems, but their impact is particularly high in urban ecosystems and grasslands. - Pressures from overfishing activities and marine pollution are still high. - In the long term, air and freshwater quality is improving. - In forests and agroecosystems, which represent over 80% of the EU territory, there are improvements in structural condition indicators (biomass, deadwood, area under organic farming) relative to the baseline year 2010 but some key bio-indicators such as tree-crown defoliation continue to increase. This indicates that ecosystem condition is not improving. - Species-related indicators show no progress or further declines, particularly in agroecosystems. The analysis of trends in ecosystem services concluded that the current potential of ecosystems to deliver timber, protection against floods, crop pollination, and nature-based recreation is equal to or lower than the baseline value for 2010. At the same time, the demand for these services has significantly increased. A lowered potential in combination with a higher demand risks to further decrease the condition of ecosystems and their contribution to human well-being. Despite the wide coverage of environmental legislation in the EU, there are still large gaps in the legal protection of ecosystems. On land, 76% of the area of terrestrial ecosystems, mainly forests, agroecosystems and urban ecosystems, are excluded from a legal designation under the Bird and Habitat Directives. Freshwater and marine ecosystems are subject to specific protection measures under the Water Framework and Marine Strategy Framework Directives. The condition of ecosystems that are under legal designation is unfavourable. More efforts are needed to bend the curve of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and to put ecosystems on a path to recovery. The progress that is made in certain areas such as pollution reduction, increasing air and water quality, increasing share of organic farming, the expansion of forests, and the efforts to maintain marine fish stocks at sustainable levels show that a persistent implementation of policies can be effective. These successes should encourage us to act now and to put forward an ambitious plan for the restoration of Europe’s ecosystems.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

The European Alien Species Information Network on the Convention on Biological Diversity pathways categorization

The adoption of a consistent alien species pathways categorization, hierarchy and terminology is crucial for increasing the interoperability of different online databases. In the present paper the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) classification system of pathways is compared and discussed with the classification scheme recently published by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Although the main pathway categories of the two classifications overall match, there are substantial differences in their subcategorization, with EASIN including 20 pathway subcategories while CBD considers 44 subcategories. In most cases, each EASIN subcategory pathway can correspond to two or more CBD subcategories. About 5,500 species listed in EASIN do not match directly with the CBD pathway subcategories, most of which are terrestrial invertebrates. Aiming at achieving synchronization between the two classification systems and at facilitating the access to information to researchers and policy makers, EASIN is trying to align with the CBD pathway classification scheme. This alignment process requires the involvement of a large number of experts, especially from the terrestrial realm, and the adoption of commonly accepted definitions of the CBD pathways