295
Aligning EU policies o add ess biological in asions: assessing
in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Chia a Magliozzi1, Ana C is ina Ca doso1, Eugenio Ge asini1, Bea ice Melone2,
Elisa Chia a Bizzo o3, Giuseppe B undu4,5 , F ancesca Cagnacci5,6 , Emma Ceb ian7,
Tim Ad iaens8, Ma ia Helena Al es9, Cá ia Ba ilo i10,11 , Lucilla Ca ne ali12 , So ia Dua e13,14 ,
Quen in G oom15 , Raquel Ma ins Quei oga16, So ie Meeus15 , Ana Luisa Nunes17 ,
C is ina P eda18 , Edua do Rendón-He nández19 , Samuel Vanden Abeele15,20 ,
Ricca do Scale a21 , Maa en P. M. Vanho e22 , Nuno Vaz Ál a o23
1 Eu opean Commission, Join Resea ch Cen e (JRC), Isp a, I aly
2 FINCONS SPA – Via To i Bianche 10 – Pal. Be ulla, 20871 Vime ca e (MB), I aly
3 Fondazione Uni e si à Ca’ Fosca i, San a C oce 507, 30135 Venezia, 30123, I aly
4 Depa men o Ag icul u al Sciences, Uni e si y o Sassa i, Sassa i, I aly
5 Animal Ecology Uni , Resea ch and Inno a ion Cen e, Fondazione Edmund Mach, T en o, I aly
6 Na ional Biodi e si y Fu u e Cen e, Pale mo, I aly
7 Cen e d’Es udis A ança s de Blanes, CSIC, Accés Cala San F ancesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Gi ona, Spain
8 Resea ch Ins i u e o Na u e and Fo es (INBO), B ussels, Belgium
9 Tagus and Wes Ri e Basin Dis ic Adminis a ion, Lisbon, Po ugal
10 IPMA – Po uguese Ins i u e o Sea and A mosphe e, I.P., A . Al edo Magalhães Ramalho 6, 1495-165 Algés, Po ugal
11 MARE – Ma ine and En i onmen al Sciences Cen e, ARNET – Aqua ic Resea ch Ne wo k Associa e Labo a o y, NOVA School o Science and Technology,
NOVA Uni e si y Lisbon, 2829-516, Capa ica, Po ugal
12 ISPRA, Is i u o Supe io e pe la P o ezione e la Rice ca Ambien ale, Roma, I aly
13 Cen e o Molecula and En i onmen al Biology (CBMA) and ARNET-Aqua ic Resea ch Ne wo k, Depa men o Biology, Uni e si y o Minho, Campus de Gual a ,
4710-057 B aga, Po ugal
14 Ins i u e o Science and Inno a ion o Bio-Sus ainabili y (IB-S), Uni e si y o Minho, Campus de Gual a , 4710-057, B aga, Po ugal
15 Meise Bo anic Ga den, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium
16 Po uguese Ins i u e o Sea and A mosphe e, I.P., A . Al edo Magalhães Ramalho 6,1495-165 Algés, Po ugal
17 IUCN, Biodi e si y Assessmen and Knowledge Team, Camb idge, UK
18 Depa men o Na u al Sciences, O idius Uni e si y o Cons an a, Cons an a, Romania
19 Applied Ecology Labo a o y, Me opoli an Au onomous Uni e si y – Xochimilco, Mexico Ci y, Mexico
20 Royal Belgian Ins i u e o Na u al Sciences, Vau ie s aa 29, 1000 B ussels, Belgium
21 Roma T e Uni e si y – Depa men o Science, Viale Guglielmo Ma coni, 446, Rome, I aly
22 Resea ch G oup Zoology: Biodi e si y & Toxicology, Cen e o En i onmen al Sciences, Hassel Uni e si y, Diepenbeek, Belgium
23 Uni e sidade dos Aço es, Ins i u o de In es igação e Tecnologias Ag á ias e do Ambien e, Ang a do He oísmo, Po ugal
Co esponding au ho : Chia a Magliozzi (chia a.maglio[email p o ec ed])
Copy igh : © Chia a Magliozzi e al.
This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde
e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
License (A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional – CC BY 4.0).
Sho Communica ion
Abs ac
In asi e alien species (IAS) a ec a ious policy sec o s, including en i onmen , ade, and ag icul-
u e. In Eu ope, each o hese sec o s is usually egula ed unde di e en Eu opean Union legisla ion,
bu IAS is no p io i ised in mos sec o s, and his may hinde e ec i e ackling o biological in a-
sions. G ea e policy cohe ence is needed o align ele an sec o s o be e managemen o biological
in asions. Engaging policymake s by sha ing in o ma ion on IAS impac s can help hem unde s and
he mul isec o al na u e o he p oblem and de elop e ec i e s a egies.
We e iewed 602 IAS in Eu ope, impac ing nine policy sec o s and 25 domains (i.e. speci ic pol-
icies wi hin a b oade policy sec o , each add essing pa icula issues and ac i i ies ela ed o ha sec-
o po olio). Findings we e p esen ed a he NeoBio a wo kshop in Lisbon on he 3 d o Sep embe
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025)
DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Ad ancing esea ch on alien species and biological in asions
A pee - e iewed open-access jou nal
NeoBio a
Academic edi o : Filipe Ribei o
Recei ed:
4 Ma ch 2025
Accep ed:
23 June 2025
Published:
7 Oc obe 2025
296
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
2024, a ended by 54 pa icipan s, including policymake s and esea che s. The wo kshop ea u ed
p esen a ions and in e ac i e sessions whe e pa icipan s es ed he e iew me hodology on 49 spe-
cies, iden i ying a eas o imp o emen , such as assessing impac scale and e ining sec o domains.
Con usion ma ices showed mode a e o subs an ial ag eemen be ween o ganise s and pa icipan s
in e alua ing a ec ed domains, ypes o impac , and con idence le els.
This s udy shows he c ucial need o in e ac ion and syne gy be ween esea ch and policy, which
a e essen ial o ackling e ec i ely IAS in Eu ope.
Key wo ds: Biodi e si y, impac , in asi e alien species, policy domains, wo kshop
In oduc ion
In asi e alien species (IAS) impac mul iple policy sec o s and he ela ed ac i i ies,
equi ing e ec i e and coo dina ed managemen . These impac s can be pe cei ed
as nega i e o posi i e and span ac oss en i onmen , economy and human heal h
(Ha el e al. 2015; Mollo e al. 2017; Ka sane akis e al. 2018; Fleming e al. 2023;
IPBES 2023). These sec o s a e egula ed unde Eu opean Union legisla ion (i.e. ad-
d essing all Membe S a es) ha may howe e no ully add ess biological in asions
(COM (2021) 628 inal). In his s udy, we e e o “policy sec o s” as a eas o Eu-
opean public policy ha a e clea ly de ined by he issues and ac i i ies hey add ess
(e.g. ag icul u e, ishe ies) and o “domains” as he speci ic policies ela ed o ha
sec o issues and ac i i ies po olio (e.g. o es y, soil, aquacul u e) (Table 1). These
policy sec o s may encompass b oade go e nance and egula o y aspec s ha go
beyond he economic ac i i ies o a sec o . The e o e, while hese policy sec o s can
include economic sec o s by add essing he b oade con ex in which hese econom-
ic ac i i ies occu , he ocus o his s udy does no include mone a y assessmen .
Access o sec o -wide scien i ic assessmen s o IAS impac s is limi ed and hin-
de ed by lack o comp ehensi e linkages o a ec ed domains (Table 1). This is
likely due o he limi ed a en ion gi en o he p io i iza ion o IAS in sec o s o he
han biodi e si y, esul ing in lack o uni ying me ics o assessing hei impac .
As a esul , clea and usable sec o -wide in o ma ion on IAS impac s would help
o explici ly conside policy ade-o s, imp o ing cohe ence and policies coo di-
na ion o IAS p e en ion and con ol (B ay e al. 2024).
Nega i e impac s o IAS ex end ac oss e es ial, eshwa e , and ma ine en-
i onmen s. Resea ch has inc easingly highligh ed he e ec s o IAS on biodi e -
si y (Pyšek e al. 2020), i.e., on na i e species, communi y di e si y (Çina e al.
2014), and on ecosys em se ices (Galla do e al. 2024). In ecen yea s, se e al
s udies ha e also shown ha IAS can cause subs an ial economic losses (Cann-
a ozzi e al. 2023) and managemen cos s (€116.61 billion in Eu ope, Haub ock
e al. 2021), which can be linked o sec o -speci ic impac s. Cos s and bene i s
can span ac oss mul iple sec o s and may no necessa ily balance each o he ou
(Ca nei o e al. 2024). These encompass, o example, animal and human heal h
(Shackle on e al. 2019a; Chinchio e al. 2020; Roy e al. 2022; EFSA 2023), wa-
e esou ces (Wa s and Moo e 2011; Lamb e al. 2021), ene gy sys ems (Booy e
al. 2017), anspo a ion sys ems (Nyumba e al. 2021; Vande bush e al. 2021),
o es and g assland (Rojas-Sando al e al. 2022), and indigenous people (P ei e
and Voeks 2008; P e y Pain -Small 2013; Shackle on e al. 2019b). Fu he mo e,
esea ch has also demons a ed ha IAS can p o ide bene i s o human well-be-
Ci a ion: Magliozzi C, Ca doso
AC, Ge asini E, Melone
B, Bizzo o EC, B undu G,
Cagnacci F, Ceb ian E, Ad iaens
T, Al es MH, Ba ilo i C,
Ca ne ali L, Dua e S, G oom Q,
Quei oga RM, Meeus S, Nunes
AL, P eda C, Rendón-He nández
E, Vanden Abeele S, Scale a
R, Vanho e MPM, Ál a o NV
(2025) Aligning EU policies o
add ess biological in asions:
assessing in asion impac s
ac oss sec o s. In: Anas ácio
P, Ribei o F, Chainho P (Eds)
In asions in Aqua ic Sys ems.
NeoBio a 102: 295–312.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3897/
neobio a.102.152015
297
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Table 1. Policy sec o s and sec o domains conside ed in his s udy. Columns ep esen ca ego ies o policy in e es egula ed by Eu o-
pean legisla ion conside ed as hema ic a eas o which he impac o IAS can be a ibu ed, conside ing physical, chemical, biological and
unc ional cha ac e is ics (e.g., soil) o policy ini ia i es (e.g., na u e p o ec ion and es o a ion). ‘*’ indica es domains iden i ied du ing
he wo kshop. Fo biodi e si y speci ically, impac s on biodi e si y componen s a e no u he e ined, and all impac s on biodi e si y a e
g ouped in o he “na u e p o ec ion and es o a ion” domain.
Main policy sec o s Sec o domains Desc ip ion o a eas co e ed by he domain
Ag icul u e and Ru al
de elopmen (AGRI)
Ag icul u e C op p oduc ion, li es ock, ag icul u al ecosys ems
Soil Soil quali y, s uc u e, nu ien cycling
Fo es y Fo es heal h, ee species’ di e si y, imbe p oduc ion
Mobili y and T anspo
(TRANSPORT)
Secu i y and sa e y Risks o anspo and in as uc u es sa e y h ough
physical obs uc ions and haza ds
In as uc u es ( oad, ails, canals) In eg i y and main enance o anspo in as uc u es
Inland wa e s ( ela ed o anspo ) Na igabili y and ecosys ems’ heal h
Ma i ime (Po )* Po ope a ion, ships hulls and ma ine logis ics
Ene gy, Clima e change,
En i onmen (ENERGY)
Secu i y (in e ms o p oduc ion and supply)* Dis up ion o ene gy supply chains and p oduc ion
acili ies
E iciency ( ela es o ene gy consump ion, he e o e IAS
impac which causes inc eased use o ene gy, e c.) *
Ene gy consump ion including inc eased demand o
con ol measu es
Renewable ene gy (IAS in ading/damaging canals/plan s,
e c.)
Renewable ene gy in as uc u e such as hyd oelec ic
plan s and sola ields
Heal h and Food Sa e y
(SANTE)
Animal heal h Li es ock heal h and e e ina y biosecu i y
Plan heal h C ops’ heal h, plan s biosecu i y, ag icul u al biodi e si y
Food and eed sa e y (con amina ion, alle gens, pa hogens,
seeds, oxins, e c.)
Con amina ion o ood and eed supply
Human heal h Alle gens, diseases, physical inju ies
In e nal Ma ke , Indus y,
En ep eneu ship and SMEs
(GROW)
Indus y (a ec ing business compe i i eness, g ow h and
esilience, e.g. Co ona i us, e c.)
Compe i i eness and esilience
Small and Medium En e p ises (SMEs) Ope a ions and ma ke access
In e nal ma ke / ade T ade egula ions, ma ke s abili y, c oss-bo de
comme ce
Di ec o a e-Gene al Clima e
Ac ion (CLIMA)
G eenhouse Gas emissions (IAS which may inc ease gas
emissions)
G eenhouse gas emissions h ough ecosys em changes
Ene gy, Clima e change,
En i onmen (En i onmen )
Clean wa e (wa e quali y) Wa e quali y and a ailabili y in eshwa e ecosys ems
Ma ine en i onmen al s a us Ma ine biodi e si y and ecosys em heal h
Na u e p o ec ion and es o a ion (all biodi e si y ela ed
impac s) (NPR)
Na u al habi a s, biodi e si y, conse a ion e o s
Ma i ime a ai s and ishe ies
(MARE)
Fishe ies (including eshwa e s) Fish popula ions, habi a s, ishing indus ies
Aquacul u e Aquacul u e p ac ices and p oduc ion
New bio indus ies* Oppo uni ies and challenges in eme ging biological
indus ies
Ene gy (ene gy consump ion) Ene gy use wi hin ma ine and ishe ies sec o s
Tou ism Tou ism ac i i ies, a ac ions, na u al landscapes
Regional and U ban Policy
(REGIO)
U ban a eas/ egions U ban en i onmen s, in as uc u es, and communi y
well-being
ing, hus sugges ing a mul i ace ed dimension o hei impac s. Posi i e impac s
may encompass p o isioning se ices ( ood, medicines, bioene gy, and cons uc-
ion ma e ials), egula ing se ices (bio-agen con ol, bio emedia ion and shade
p o ision), cul u al se ices (aes he ic and o namen al alues), and suppo ing
se ices (soil and land eclama ion h ough eco- es o a ion) (Ka sane akis e al.
2014; Ce ei a e al. 2022; Ba cellos e al. 2023; Ma chessaux e al. 2023; Boad-
ie-Ampong e al. 2024). While esea che s in es iga ed he impac s o IAS, im-
298
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
po an gaps emain in linking he comp ehensi e assessmen o IAS impac s o
policy sec o s and domains.
P o ocols used in he amewo k o he EU Regula ion 1143/2014 on IAS do
conside cu en and u u e impac s on p o isioning, egula ing and cul u al se -
ices as well as impac s on human heal h, sa e y and he economy (Commission
Delega ed Regula ion (EU) 2018/968 o 30 Ap il 2018, A 5(1)( )). Ye , hese
impac s a e desc ibed a he quali a i ely, conside ed as agg a a ing ac o s and
do no ma ch he need o mobilise a ailable in o ma ion linking impac s ac oss
di e en policy sec o s. The pionee ing e o s o he In aCos da abase p o ide an
ini ial quan i ica ion o he economic impac s o biological in asions (Diagne e
al. 2020), o e ing a ounda ional assessmen o he inancial bu dens imposed by
IAS ac oss a ious sec o s (Tu belin e al. 2024). To add ess he inhe en challenges
in e alua ing hese impac s, he e is a p essing need o a s anda dised amewo k
ha includes consis en sec o al de ini ions and me ics. This would enhance he
in e ope abili y o impac assessmen s ac oss di e en sec o s, acili a ing mo e
cohe en and comp ehensi e analyses.
The Eu opean Union’s egula o y amewo k plays a c ucial ole in add essing he
complex and c oss-sec o al issue o biological in asions. While speci ic egula ions,
such as he EU IAS Regula ion (1143/2014/EU), he Plan Heal h (2016/2031/
EU) and he Animal Heal h legisla ion (2016/429/EU), se ou he obliga ions o
p e en ing and managing IAS, he e ec s o biological in asions a e a - eaching
and impac a ious o he sec o s ha a e go e ned by EU legisla ion, bu which do
no explici ly add ess IAS. In his complex landscape, se e al policies o en guide
decisions on di e en aspec s o he same opic, while each indi idual policy may
ackle mo e han one challenge (e.g. biodi e si y loss, wa e quali y, p o ec ion o
li elihood), highligh ing he need o a coo dina ed and cohe en app oach. One
example o such complexi y is he case o Robinia pseudoacacia. In he phy osan-
i a y sec o , e o s a e made o e adica e his species due o i s in asi e na u e.
Howe e , con as ing policies exis whe e subsidies a e p o ided o encou age i s
plan ing o suppo bees and honey p oduc ion. This con adic ion unde sco es
he necessi y o cohe ence and alignmen ac oss policy a eas o e ec i ely manage
biological in asions. By ecognising and add essing hese o e laps and misma ches,
he EU can de elop mo e in eg a ed and e ec i e s a egies o manage IAS and
hei impac s ac oss di e en sec o s. The e o e, e ec i e policy making o add ess
he complex opic o biological in asions equi es a comp ehensi e unde s anding
o he en angled ela ionships be ween a ious policy sec o s, and he issues and
ac i i ies managed, g ounded in a s ong scien i ic base (IPBES 2023).
To his end, he Eu opean Alien Species In o ma ion Ne wo k (EASIN) o he
Join Resea ch Cen e (JRC) o he Eu opean Commission has collec ed quali-
a i e in o ma ion on he posi i e and nega i e impac s o 602 IAS on 9 policy
sec o s and 27 sec o domains in Eu ope (Suppl. ma e ial 1). This i s compila-
ion o impac s ac oss sec o ial domains (he ein a e p ima y assessmen ) aims a
acili a ing he exchange o in o ma ion among policymake s and scien is s, and
be ween hose ac i e in di e en policy sec o s and sec o domains, and o iden i y
gaps and challenges e.g. which sec o s would bene i om mo e explici inclusion
o IAS o mi iga e hei impac s, o de ining ailo ed biosecu i y plans ha add ess
speci ic sec o s, p omo ing a mo e e ec i e and sus ainable managemen o IAS.
The p elimina y esul s o his e iew we e p esen ed and discussed wi h in e na-
ional expe s a he NeoBio a wo kshop in Lisbon on he 3 d o Sep embe 2024,
299
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
o ag ee on me hodology, and iden i y a eas o imp o emen . The main aim o he
wo kshop was o p o ide he scien i ic communi y and au ho i ies’ ep esen a i es,
wi h an o e iew o he da a compiled, o es he me hodology on a subse o
in o ma ion o gain an unde s anding o he sui abili y o he app oach, and any
po en ial applica ion di icul ies. In he ollowing sec ions, we p o ide a summa y
o he p ima y assessmen and highligh he main ou comes o he wo kshop.
P ima y assessmen
A sample o 602 IAS was ex ac ed om he EASIN Ca alogue. The selec ion
o he IAS conside ed plan and animal species ac oss eshwa e , e es ial, and
ma ine en i onmen s, and was based on hei impac as iden i ied om se e al
da a sou ces. Fo hese species, da a on impac s we e ex ac ed om bo h sci-
en i ic and g ey li e a u e, using he Web o Science, Scopus, Google Schola ,
and Google, which we e accessed in June 2024. The ollowing keywo ds we e
en e ed in o he sea ch engines: “impac * o [species name] on [domain], OR
“e ec * o [species name] on [domain]”, OR “in luence* o [species name] on
[domain]” OR “species [name] and [domain] impac *”, “how [species name] a -
ec * [domain]”, OR “e ec * o [species name] on [domain]”, OR “in luence* o
[species name] on [domain]”, OR “[species name] and [domain] in e ac ion*”.
Based on his e iew posi i e and/o nega i e impac s o species ac oss 27 sec o
domains (Table 1) we e assessed by a eam o eigh expe s wi h axonomic and
ecological expe ise (i.e. p ima y assessmen ). This assessmen ocused solely on
impac s in in aded anges wi hin Eu ope. Howe e , in case o a lack o li e a u e
o suppo impac in Eu ope, e e ences om o he a eas we e also conside ed.
Fo species pa ly na i e in Eu ope, impac s om he na i e ange a ea we e no
conside ed. A wo-s ep p ocess was adop ed. Ini ially, se e al hund ed IAS we e
assessed by ou expe s. Subsequen ly, hese IAS we e e iewed by o he ou
expe s o iden i y disc epancies and ensu e a consis en unde s anding o he
domains and assessmen p o ocol. The assessmen hen p oceeded o comple e
he e alua ion o all 602 IAS.
A con idence le el (Suppl. ma e ial 1: Table S1) was assigned o each species’
impac using a amewo k ha conside s he na u e, co e age, quali y and consis-
ency o e idence (Suppl. ma e ial 1: Table S1) o he highes (nega i e o posi i e)
epo ed impac . Posi i e and nega i e impac s can be documen ed o he same
species wi hin he same domain o ac oss di e en domains (Table 2).
Table 2. De ini ions o impac ypes, i.e. nega i e and posi i e, modi ied om Vime ca i e al. (2022). DD e e s o da a de icien in o -
ma ion.
Impac ype De ini ion
nega i e A dec ease in a policy sec o a ibu e, alue- ee (i.e. no in luenced by human e hical alues) d i en by IAS. Nega i e impac s a e
epo ed conside ing he a ailabili y o ele an s udies in a policy sec o . E.g. Halyomo pha halys in ag icul u e: damaging a wide
a ie y o c ops, including ui s, ege ables, and o namen als. The s ink bug eeds on plan issues, leading o blemishes on ui s and
ege ables, which can ende hem unma ke able. This eeding can also cause de o ma ion and p ema u e ui d op.
posi i e An inc ease in a policy sec o a ibu e, alue- ee (i.e. no in luenced by human e hical alues) d i en by IAS. Posi i e impac s a e
epo ed conside ing he a ailabili y o ele an s udies in a policy sec o . E.g. Bonnemaisonia hami e a as a eed supplemen o dai y
cows. The algae con ains bioac i e compounds ha ha e he po en ial o educe me hane emissions du ing en e ic e men a ion, a
na u al diges i e p ocess in uminan s ha p oduces me hane as a byp oduc .
DD No in o ma ion o classi y he species wi h espec o i s impac , o insu icien ime has elapsed since i s in oduc ion o impac s o
ha e become appa en .
300
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
The selec ed IAS a e epo ed as ha ing an impac om se e al da a sou ces, i.e.
DAISIE, CABI, GISD, NOBANIS (EASIN p o ocol). Speci ically o species o
Union conce n unde he EU Regula ion 1143/2014, he impac is suppo ed by
in-dep h assessmen s o expe s conside ing species’ nega i e e ec s on: i) biodi e -
si y, ii) ecosys em se ices, iii) economic, and i ) social and human heal h, ollow-
ing a p ocedu e laid down by Commission Delega ed Regula ion (EU) 2018/968,
ou lining minimum s anda ds o isk assessmen (Roy e al. 2018).
Impac esul s
“Na u e P o ec ion and Res o a ion” was he domain mos impac ed by IAS ac oss
policy sec o s, wi h o e 300 impac ing IAS (Fig. 1). This domain encompasses all
ypes o impac s on biodi e si y (e.g. p eda ion, compe i ion o esou ces, pa asi -
ism, e c.). I is ollowed by Ag icul u e, Plan Heal h, Animal Heal h and Human
Heal h (>100 IAS, Fig. 1). The in e sec ion o hese domains and impac ing IAS
(Fig. 2), shows ha Plan Heal h and Ag icul u e sha e he highes numbe o
IAS (>70 IAS), and ha app oxima ely hi y IAS a e common o all i e domains
(Fig. 2). Na u e P o ec ion and Res o a ion has a dis inc se o 51 IAS ha impac
on biodi e si y (Fig. 2). Fewe han wen y species a e unique o each o he Plan ,
Animal and Human domains espec i ely (Fig. 2).
The highes numbe o IAS plan s and animals assessed was e es ial; ma ine
species we e he leas conside ed (Suppl. ma e ial 1: Fig. S1a). Thi y-one species
showed o e lap be ween en i onmen s (Suppl. ma e ial 1: Fig. S1b).
These domains a e cha ac e ised by a high con idence in hei assessmen , hus
sugges ing obus scien i ic e idence o suppo he indings (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3 shows IAS wi h posi i e and nega i e impac s on he same sec o . Fo
example, Amb osia i ida is one o he mos di icul weeds o manage in many
Figu e 1. Numbe o IAS impac ing ac oss sec o ial domains. G een ba s indica e domains wi h he highes numbe o impac ing IAS
(bo h nega i e and posi i e). ‘NPR’ and ‘SMEs’ e e o Na u e P o ec ion and Res o a ion and Small and Medium En e p ises espec-
i ely (see Table 1 o de ails).
301
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Figu e 2. In e sec ions be ween he mos impac ed domains (>100 IAS) i.e., Na u e P o ec ion and Res o a ion (“NPR”), Ag icul u e,
Plan , Animal and Human Heal h. Numbe o IAS ha a e common o unique o domains (‘in e sec ion size’) as indica ed by bo om
ma ix, which links he domains sha ing he same species. ‘NPR’ and ‘SMEs’ e e o Na u e P o ec ion and Res o a ion and Small and
Medium En e p ises espec i ely. Upse plo gene a ed using “Upse R” package (Conway e al. 2017).
coun ies, esis an o he bicides, and a compe i o wi h c ops o ligh , mois u e,
and nu ien s (Liebman e al. 2020; Ka o-Noguchi and Ka o 2024). Howe e , i
yields conside able amoun s o o age o high nu i i e alue (Basse e al. 1982;
Chau el e al. 2021) and could be used o phy o emedia ion and phy os abilisa-
ion (Kang e al. 1998).
Nega i e impac s we e by a mo e p e alen han posi i e impac s, he la -
e cons i u ing abou 10% o 16% espec i ely o plan s and animals (Fig. 4a,
b). Howe e , di e ences ac oss en i onmen s we e appa en . Fo example, ani-
mals had a simila pe cen age o nega i e impac s on eshwa e and e es ial
en i onmen s (47.03% s. 40.17%), whils plan s especially impac ed e es ial
en i onmen s (76.3%) (Fig. 4a, b). This di e ence is p ima ily ela ed o he in-
he en cha ac e is ics o animal and plan axa. Many animals, such as Myocas o
coypus, ha e li e cycles ha allow hem o occupy mul iple habi a s, leading o a
mo e balanced impac ac oss eshwa e and e es ial en i onmen s. In con as ,
plan s end o ha e mo e localised impac s, p edominan ly a ec ing he speci ic
en i onmen s hey inhabi (e.g. Acacia dealba a). This is u he in luenced by he
selec ion o plan species in ou analysis, whe e we included 215 e es ial species
(including 3 species adap ed o muddy loodplains and we a eas, e.g. Gymno-
co onis spilan hoides) and 38 species exclusi e o eshwa e en i onmen s, and 16
ma ine IAS. This selec ion con ibu es o he obse ed skew owa ds e es ial
impac s o plan s.
302
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Figu e 3. a. Numbe o IAS ha we e assessed as impac ing nega i ely and/o posi i ely each sec o domain. No impac s we e iden i ied o he
‘Secu i y’ and ‘E iciency’ sec o domains; b. Bubble plo o he dis ibu ion o con idence le els o nega i e and posi i e impac s ac oss sec o
domains. The size o each bubble ep esen s he numbe o IAS ha display he co esponding con idence le el and impac . DD = da a de icien .
Figu e 4. Dis ibu ion o impac ypes ac oss en i onmen s: a) Pie-donu cha o Animals (N = 319 IAS) combining posi i e and
nega i e impac s on eshwa e , ma ine and e es ial en i onmen s. b) Pie-donu cha o Plan s (N = 269 IAS) combining posi i e and
nega i e impac s on eshwa e , ma ine and e es ial en i onmen s.
303
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Wo kshop
Focus g oups
The wo kshop hos ed 54 pa icipan s, including ep esen a i es om Membe S a e
Compe en Au ho i ies, expe s and esea che s. The esul s o he p ima y assess-
men done by EASIN based on he li e a u e e iew we e p esen ed o he pa ic-
ipan s ou lining he aims o he wo kshop and le elling he unde s anding o IAS
impac s. Following his, nine six-membe ocus g oups applied he e iew me hod-
ology o a subse o 49 IAS (abou 5 IAS pe g oup) ac oss en i onmen s (Suppl.
ma e ial 1). These species had al eady been e alua ed in he p ima y assessmen . The
g oups’ wo k aimed a de ining assigned species’ p ima y assessmen and o discuss
and epo on di icul ies hey encoun e ed in assessing he impac s on he speci ic
policy sec o domains, based on he scien i ic e idence p o ided. The acili a o s
p esen ed he pa icipan s wi h an online Google o m o compiling he assessmen
and a guidance pe IAS (Suppl. ma e ial 1). This guidance con ained de ini ions o
ypes o impac and con idence le els, including exce p s o published ex s o each
species, which we e used in he p ima y assessmen , o help pa icipan s in hei
e alua ion. Pa icipan s we e bound o hei e alua ion o he in o ma ion ha was
p o ided o each species. The pa icipan s wi hin a g oup collabo a ed o assess he
species. Each o hem e iewed he sou ces, using p in ed copies o he assessmen
guidance p o ided, and eached a consensus o he inal e alua ion. Consequen -
ly, each g oup comple ed he Google o m once. The assessmen s om he ocus
g oups we e immedia ely p ocessed o analysis and he esul s we e epo ed back
o he plena y o alida e he esul s and ask o addi ional inpu s.
Ou comes
The EASIN p ima y assessmen iden i ied 23 domains on he subse o 49 IAS,
compa ed o he 27 domains iden i ied by wo kshop pa icipan s (Suppl. ma e i-
al 1: Fig. S2). Fou new domains impac ed ei he nega i ely o posi i ely by hese
IAS we e iden i ied: Ma i ime (Po ) including inland (e.g., o Aspa agopsis a ma-
a, My iophyllum aqua icum, S yela cla a), New Bio Indus ies (e.g., o Aspa agop-
sis a ma a, A undo donax, Co bicula luminea, Me apenaeus s ebbingi, G a eloupia
u u u u), Ene gy and secu i y (e.g., Cas o canadensis, A undo donax, My iophyl-
lum aqua icum, Nel uma juli lo a, Eucalyp us camaldulensis), and Ene gy e iciency
(e.g., Co bicula luminea, My iophyllum aqua icum, C enopha yngodon idella, S yela
cla a). These new domains ei he eplaced p oposed ones o we e added. Fo ex-
ample, he ma ine ed alga Aspa agopsis a ma a, ini ially assessed as impac ing he
“Ma ine En i onmen al S a us” domain, was ins ead indica ed as impac ing “Ma -
i ime (Po )”. Fo o he species, such as he Asian clam, Co bicula luminea, pa ic-
ipan s also iden i ied addi ional impac ed domains. Unlike he EASIN p ima y as-
sessmen , which iden i ied 27/49 species wi h bo h posi i e and nega i e impac s,
wo kshop pa icipan s iden i ied 24 species, wi h a g ea e dispa i y be ween neg-
a i e and posi i e impac s (Suppl. ma e ial 1: Fig. S3). One possible explana ion
o his disc epancy could be he limi ed ime and aining a ailable o pa icipan s
du ing he wo kshop, which migh ha e in luenced hei abili y o ully conside
and e alua e bo h ypes o impac s. Addi ionally, expe ience bias may ha e played a
ole, as pa icipan s migh ha e been mo e in luenced by hei pe sonal expe iences
o p e ailing na a i es, leading o a skewed pe cep ion o he impac s.
310
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Hawkins CL, Bache S, Essl F, Hulme PE, Jeschke JM, Kühn I, Kumschick S, Nen wig W, Pe -
gl J, Pyšek P, Rabi sch W, Richa dson DM, Vilà M, Wilson JRU, Geno esi P, Blackbu n TM
(2015) F amewo k and guidelines o implemen ing he p oposed IUCN En i onmen al Impac
Classi ica ion o Alien Taxa (EICAT). Di e si y & Dis ibu ions 21: 1360–1363. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1111/ddi.12379
IPBES (2023) Summa y o Policymake s o he Thema ic Assessmen Repo on In asi e Alien
Species and hei Con ol o he In e go e nmen al Science-Policy Pla o m on Biodi e si y and
Ecosys em Se ices. In: Roy HE, Paucha d A, S oe P, Rena d T uong T, Bache S, Galil BS,
Hulme PE, Ikeda T, Sanka an KV, McGeoch, MA, Meye son LA, Nuñez MA, O donez A, Rah-
lao SJ, Schwind E, Seebens H, Sheppa d AW, Vand ik V (Eds) IPBES sec e a ia . Bonn. h ps://
doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.7430692
Kang B-H, Shim S-I, Lee S-G, Kim K-H, Chung I-M (1998) E alua ion o Amb osia a emisii olia
a . ela io , Amb osia i ida, Rumex c ispus o phy o emedia ion o Cu and Cd con amina ed soil.
Ko ean Jou nal o Weed Science 18: 262–267.
Ka o-Noguchi H, Ka o M (2024) In asi e Cha ac e is ics and Impac s o Amb osia i ida. Ag ono-
my 14: e2868. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/ag onomy14122868
Ka sane akis S, Wallen inus I, Zene os A, Leppäkoski E, Çina M, Oz ü k B, G abowski M, Go-
lani D, Ca doso A (2014) Impac s o ma ine in asi e alien species on ecosys em se ices and
biodi e si y: A pan-Eu opean e iew. Aqua ic In asions 9: 391–423. h ps://doi.o g/10.3391/
ai.2014.9.4.01
Ka sane akis S, Rilo G, Edelis D (2018) Impac s o ma ine in asi e alien species on Eu opean
ishe ies and aquacul u e-plague o boon. CIESM Monog aph 50: 125–132.
Kumschick S, Nen wig W (2010) Some alien bi ds ha e as se e e an impac as he mos e ec ual
alien mammals in Eu ope. Biological Conse a ion 143: 2757–2762. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
biocon.2010.07.023
Lamb BT, McC ea AA, S oodley SH, Dzialowski AR (2021) Moni o ing and wa e quali y impac s
o an he bicide ea men on an aqua ic in asi e plan in a d inking wa e ese oi . Jou nal o
En i onmen al Managemen 288: e112444. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jen man.2021.112444
Landis JR, Koch GG (1977) The measu emen o obse e ag eemen o ca ego ical da a. Biome ics
33: 159–174. h ps://doi.o g/10.2307/2529310
Liebman M, Nichols VA (2020) C opping sys em edesign o imp o ed weed managemen : A mod-
eling app oach illus a ed wi h gian agweed (Amb osia i ida). Ag onomy 10: e262. h ps://doi.
o g/10.3390/ag onomy10020262
Ma chessaux G, Mangano MC, Bizza i S, M’Rabe C, P incipa o E, Lago N, Veyssie e D, Ga ido
M, Scyphe s SB, Sa à G (2023) In asi e blue c abs and small-scale ishe ies in he Medi e anean
sea: Local ecological knowledge, impac s and u u e managemen . Ma ine Policy 148: e105461.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ma pol.2022.105461
Mollo G, Pan el J, Romanuk T (2017) The E ec s o In asi e Species on he Decline in Species
Richness: A Global Me a-Analysis. Ad ances in Ecological Resea ch. Else ie , 61–83. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1016/bs.aec .2016.10.002
Nen wig W, Kühnel E, Bache S (2010) A gene ic impac -sco ing sys em applied o alien mammals in
Eu ope. Conse a ion Biology 24: 302–311. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01289.x
Nen wig W, Bache S, Pyšek P, Vilà M, Kumschick S (2016) The gene ic impac sco ing sys em
(GISS): A s anda dized ool o quan i y he impac s o alien species. En i onmen al Moni o ing
and Assessmen 188: 1–13. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s10661-016-5321-4
NNSS (2015) Rapid Risk Assessmen . h ps://www.nonna i especies.o g/asse s/Uploads/RSS_RA_
Co bicula_ luminea.pd
Nyumba TO, Sang CC, Olago DO, Ma chan R, Wa uingi L, Gi hio a Y, Kago F, Mwangi M,
Owi a G, Ba asa R e al. (2021) Assessing he ecological impac s o anspo a ion in as uc u e
311
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
de elopmen : A econnaissance s udy o he S anda d Gauge Railway in Kenya. PLoS ONE 16:
e0246248. h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.pone.0246248
Pain -Small VP (2013) Linking cul u e, ecology and policy: The in asion o Russian-oli e (Elaeag-
nus angus i olia L.) on he C ow Indian ese a ion, sou h-cen al Mon ana, USA. PHD Thesis.
Colo ado S a e Uni e si y.
P ei e JM, Voeks RA (2008) Biological in asions and biocul u al di e si y: Linking ecologi-
cal and cul u al sys ems. En i onmen al Conse a ion 35: 281–293. h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/
S0376892908005146
Pyšek P, Hulme PE, Simbe lo D, Bache S, Blackbu n TM, Ca l on JT, Dawson W, Essl F, Foxc o
LC, Geno esi P e al. (2020) Scien is s’ wa ning on in asi e alien species. Biological Re iews o
he Camb idge Philosophical Socie y 95: 1511–1534. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/b .12627
Rojas-Sando al J, Acke man JD, Ma cano-Vega H, Willig MR (2022) Alien species a ec he abun-
dance and ichness o na i e species in opical o es s: The ole o adap i e s a egies. Ecosphe e
13: e4291. h ps://doi.o g/10.1002/ecs2.4291
Roy HE, Rabi sch W, Scale a R, S ewa A, Galla do B, Geno esi P, Essl F, Ad iaens T, Bache
S, Booy O, B anqua E, B unel S, Copp GH, Dean H, D'hond B, Jose sson M, Kenis M,
Ke unen M, Linnamagi M, Lucy F, Ma inou A, Moo e N, Nen wig W, Nie o A, Pe gl J, Pey-
on J, Roques A, Schindle S, Schön ogge K, Sola z W, S ebbing PD, T ichko a T, Vande ho-
e en S, an Valkenbu g J, Zene os A (2018) De eloping a amewo k o minimum s anda ds
o he isk assessmen o alien species. Jou nal o Applied Ecology 55: 526–538. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1111/1365-2664.13025
Roy HE, T ica ico E, Hassall R, Johns CA, Roy KA, Scale a R, Smi h KG, Pu se BV (2022) The ole
o in asi e alien species in he eme gence and sp ead o zoonoses. Biological In asions 25: 1–16.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s10530-022-02978-1
Shackle on RT, Richa dson DM, Shackle on CM, Benne B, C owley SL, Dehnen-Schmu z K,
Es é ez RA, Fische A, Kue e C, Kull CA e al. (2019a) Explaining people’s pe cep ions o in a-
si e alien species: A concep ual amewo k. Jou nal o En i onmen al Managemen 229: 10–26.
Shackle on RT, Shackle on CM, Kull CA (2019b) The ole o in asi e alien species in shaping
loc h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jen man.2018.04.045 al li elihoods and human well-being: A
e iew. Jou nal o En i onmen al Managemen 229: 145–157. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jen-
man.2018.05.007
Tu belin AJ, Hudgins EJ, Ca o d JA, Cu hbe RN, Diagne C, Kou an idou M, Roiz D, Cou champ
F (2024) Biological in asions as bu dens o p ima y economic sec o s. Global En i onmen al
Change 87: e102858. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.gloen cha.2024.102858
Vande bush B, Longhen y C, Lucchesi DO, Ba nes ME (2021) A e iew o zeb a mussel biology,
dis ibu ion, aqua ic ecosys em impac s, and con ol wi h speci ic emphasis on Sou h Dako a,
USA. Open Jou nal o Ecology 11: 163–182. h ps://doi.o g/10.4236/oje.2021.112014
Vime ca i G, P obe AF, Vole y L, Be na do-Mad id R, Be olino S, Céspedes V, Essl F, E ans T,
Galla do B, Gallien L, González-Mo eno P (2022) The EICAT+ amewo k enables classi ica ion
o posi i e impac s o alien axa on na i e biodi e si y. PLoS Biology 20: e3001729. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1371/jou nal.pbio.3001729
Wa s DA, Moo e GW (2011) Wa e -use dynamics o an in asi e eed, A undo donax, om lea o
s and. We lands 31: 725–734. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s13157-011-0188-1
Yan J, Li Y, Liang X, Zhang Y, Dawood MA, Ma uli’c D, Gao J (2017) E ec s o die a y p o ein and
lipid le els on g ow h pe o mance, a y acid composi ion and an ioxidan ‐ ela ed gene exp es-
sions in ju enile loach Misgu nus anguillicauda us. Aquacul u e Resea ch 48: 5385–5393. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1111/a e.13352
312
NeoBio a 102: 295–312 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.102.152015
Chia a Magliozzi e al.: Assessing in asion impac s ac oss sec o s
Supplemen a y ma e ial 1
Supplemen a y in o ma ion
Au ho s: Chia a Magliozzi, Ana C is ina Ca doso, Eugenio Ge asini, Bea ice Melone, Elisa Chia a
Bizzo o, Giuseppe B undu, F ancesca Cagnacci, Emma Ceb ian, Tim Ad iaens, Ma ia Helena
Al es, Cá ia Ba ilo i, Lucilla Ca ne ali, So ia Dua e, Quen in G oom, Raquel Ma ins Quei o-
ga, So ie Meeus, Ana Luisa Nunes, C is ina P eda, Edua do Rendón-He nández, Samuel Vanden
Abeele, Ricca do Scale a, Maa en P.M. Vanho e, Nuno Vaz Ál a o
Da a ype: docx
Explana ion no e: able S1. Con idence le els based on he s eng h o e idence. Adap ed om
Ka sane akis e al. (2014). able S2. Lis o IAS assessed by wo kshop pa icipan s. ig. S1.
OO e iew o he numbe o IAS assessed ac oss en i onmen s and axonomic g oups. ig. S2.
Domains (see de ini ions in he manusc ip ) iden i ied du ing he wo kshop o he 49 IAS. ig.
S3. IAS wi h epo ed posi i e and nega i e impac s ac oss sec o domains du ing he wo kshop.
Copy igh no ice: This da ase is made a ailable unde he Open Da abase License (h p://openda a-
commons.o g/licenses/odbl/1.0/). The Open Da abase License (ODbL) is a license ag eemen
in ended o allow use s o eely sha e, modi y, and use his Da ase while main aining his same
eedom o o he s, p o ided ha he o iginal sou ce and au ho (s) a e c edi ed.
Link: h ps://doi.o g/10.3897/neobio a.102.152015.suppl1