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Better management of alien species

Nature volume 531, page 173 (2016)Cite this article

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In our view, the European Union's recent legislation on invasive alien species will be an effective conservation tool only if the inclusion of new species is supported by the majority of EU states. We call for Europe to put the protection of its biodiversity before the short-term economic interests of member states.

Europe is one of the world's most biologically invaded regions (M. van Kleunen et al. Nature 525, 100–103; 2015). But the list of invasive alien species targeted for action under the January 2015 EU legislation includes just 37 entries (see go.nature.com/gigftz) — even though Europe hosts more than 1,000 such species, most of which meet the criteria for listing (M. Vilà et al. Front. Ecol. Envir. 8, 135–144; 2010). For example, knotweed (Fallopia sp.) and American mink (Neovison vison) are well-characterized species that are responsible for extensive biodiversity losses across the continent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Pruhonice, Czech Republic

    Jan Pergl

  2. Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy

    Piero Genovesi

  3. Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Pruhonice; and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.,

    Petr Pyšek

  4. and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.,

    Petr Pyšek

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  1. Jan Pergl
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  2. Piero Genovesi
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  3. Petr Pyšek
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Correspondence to Jan Pergl.

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Pergl, J., Genovesi, P. & Pyšek, P. Better management of alien species. Nature 531, 173 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/531173d

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