Invasion Biology: Specific Problems and Possible Solutions

Franck Courchamp (1) , Alice Fournier (1) , Céline Bellard (2) , Cleo Bertelsmeier (3) , Elsa Bonnaud (1) , Jonathan Jeschke (4, 5, 6) , James C. Russell (7, 1)

1 ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution
2 UCL-GEE - Dept of Genetics, Evolution and Environment [London]
3 DEE - Department of Ecology and Evolution [UNIL, Lausanne] = Département d'écologie et évolution
4 IGB - Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
5 Freie Universität Berlin
6 BBIB - Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research
7 University of Auckland [Auckland]

Biological invasions have been unambiguously shown to be one of the major global causes of biodiversity loss. Despite the magnitude of this threat and recent scientific advances, this field remains a regular target of criticism – from outright deniers of the threat to scientists questioning the utility of the discipline. This unique situation, combining internal strife and an unaware society, greatly hinders the progress of invasion biology. It is crucial to identify the specificities of this discipline that lead to such difficulties. We outline here 24 specificities and problems of this discipline and categorize them into four groups: understanding, alerting, supporting, and implementing the issues associated with invasive alien species, and we offer solutions to tackle these problems and push the field forward.

Mots clés: biological invasions; science communication; citizen involvement; decision making; engaging with the public; science–society interface

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie; Biodiversité

Franck Courchamp, Alice Fournier, Céline Bellard, Cleo Bertelsmeier, Elsa Bonnaud, et al.. Invasion Biology: Specific Problems and Possible Solutions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2017, 32 (1), pp.13-22. ⟨10.1016/j.tree.2016.11.001⟩. ⟨hal-02457142⟩