Abstract
We present PREVALIEN, a dataset created under the project Prevention and Early Detection of the Invasive Alien Plants of European Union Concern in the Italian Protected Areas, an innovative tool supporting prevention and early detection of Invasive Alien Plants. Developed on PostgreSQL, it integrates ecological and spatial data from authoritative European and global sources. This dataset covers 41 vascular plant and algal species, with detailed information on taxonomy, traits, introduction pathways, impacts, and management strategies. Presence and absence records for Italians’ protected areas were obtained from the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research databases and included only if collected within National Park boundaries. Data underwent expert verification, including cross-checking with risk assessments and consultation with park authorities. Structured into 34 relational tables, PREVALIEN supports multi-scale ecological analysis and the development of spatially explicit risk models. As an open-access resource, it fills critical data gaps, enhances national IAS monitoring, and provides a foundation for evidence-based policies and actions against biological invasions, strengthening protection of Europe’s most vulnerable and biodiversity-rich landscapes.
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Data availability
The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17937403.
Code availability
There is no custom code produced during the collection and validation of this dataset.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge financial support under the Research Project PREVALIEN - Enhancing Knowledge on Prevention and Early Detection of the Invasive Alien Plants of (European) Union concern in the Italian Protected Areas – CUP J53D23006570006, H53D23003280006, H53D23003290006, D53D23008200006, J53D23006580006 - Grant Assignment Decree No. 739 adopted on 29 May 2023 by the Italian Ministry of Ministry of University and Research (MUR), and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4 – Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU; Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP H73C22000300001, Hub: Biodiversity, Spoke 5: Urban biodiversity, Project title “National Biodiversity Future Center - NBFC”. The authors would like to thank Salvatore Giuliano for his assistance in the preparation of the database and the associated documentation files.
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L.A.S., V.L., G.B. conceived the idea. L.A.S., V.L., G.B., M.L.C., M.F., A.S. compiled the data and curated the database. V.L., L.C.-G., E.B., D.B., N.S., S.C. and C.M. contributed species occurrence data. L.A.S. and M.F. analysed the data, L.A.S. and A.S. drafted the manuscript. All authors commented on the manuscript draft and approved its submission.
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Santoianni, L.A., Barni, E., Bouvet, D. et al. A dataset on invasive alien plants of European Union concern. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06932-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06932-x
