What evidence exists for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien invasive species in Europe? A systematic map protocol

Background: Invasive alien species are of global concern due to their impacts on biodiversity, related ecosystem services and on economy. A number of invasive alien species are also responsible for human health impacts, either as carriers (vectors) of pathogens, as causal agents of toxic or allergic reactions (e.g. to pollen or insect stings) or injuries. However, there has been relatively little attention given to these human health effects in invasion ecology literature, with no attempts to systematically identify and quantify evidence of impacts. It is likely that further invasive alien species will benefit from global change as some invasive traits provide high plasticity and therefore support adaptation capacities to cope with changing conditions. Thus, global change may lead to new public health concerns as invasive alien species expand their range or enter new areas, or may alter the severity of health impacts by changing the physiology or quantity of potential allergens or irritants produced. This mapping review aims at identifying any evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to invasive alien species in Europe over the last 25 years. Methods/Design: A systematic search of both ecological and medical literature will be used to identify potentially relevant studies using three a priori inclusion criteria, i.e. (i) affected human population in Europe, (ii) exposure to alien species, (iii) change in health impact. Studies will be assessed against inclusion criteria at title, abstract and full text to determine relevance to the mapping review. Studies deemed relevant will be coded using predetermined categories relating to the review inclusion criteria and study design, and recorded in a searchable database. Depending on the information available, studies may also be geo-referenced to create a geographic map of the evidence. Descriptive statistics will be used to explore key trends in the evidence base. The searchable database of studies and their main characteristics will be made available with the final report. It is intended that this systematic map will be useful in informing decision making related to the future human health impacts of invasive alien species in Europe

Effectiveness of management interventions for control of invasive Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia: a systematic review protocol

Background: Alien species are severely impacting the environment, public health and socioeconomy at a global scale. Their management is thus of crucial importance and the subject of intensive research efforts. Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is an alien species with negative impacts on agriculture, human health and biodiversity. It is a highly allergenic, wind-pollinated herb native to North America that was first introduced to Europe during the seventeenth century. It has since become widespread and is currently in an ongoing phase of rapid spread and increasing abundance. Several management approaches are currently implemented and effective control of the species can have strong socioeconomic benefits. However, evidence for management effectiveness is scattered and has not yet been synthesised systematically. For these reasons, we here aim to systematically review the evidence to assess (a) what is the effectiveness of management options used for control of Common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia and (b) what is the effect of confounding factors such as habitat, climate and frequency and timing of treatment? Methods: This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the specified questions. Search terms relating to the population and the intervention (type of management) will be combined and searched in a range of databases and other sources. Specific inclusion criteria are (i) any population of Ambrosia artemisiifolia at any habitat including populations in agricultural settings and such used for experimental research at any geographic location (including its native range), (ii) any physical, chemical, biological or combined management action; (iii) direct outcome measures including change in coverage, abundance, biomass, survival, reoccurrence, biology (e.g. growth, height, leaf area) or pollen production. The wide range of quality of primary literature will be evaluated with a tailored system for assessing susceptibility to bias and the reliability of the studies. If extracted data are suitable for quantitative synthesis, we aim to calculate effect sizes and conduct meta-analyses