Invasive species

ISSUES

Invasive alien species

In a wide range of terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, accidental or voluntary introduction of non-native species by humans has altered local biological community interactions, triggering dramatic and often unexpected changes in ecosystem processes and causing large monetary and cultural losses.
Alien species can act as vectors for new diseases, change biodiversity, disrupt cultural landscapes, reduce the value of land and water for human activities and trigger other socio-economic consequences.
Getting there
Invasive species themselves come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and occur in all major taxonomic groups, including viruses, fungi, algae, mosses, ferns, higher plants, insects and other invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
In some cases non-native species have been deliberately imported, such as kudzo vine plants introduced to control soil erosion in North Americ...

NEWS

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UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND - The world's biggest rat-hunt is being mounted to rid a South Atlantic island of the rodents eating their way through...

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DEBATES

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FOCUS

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VIDEOS

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02/03/2009	Les invasions d'un territoire par des populations d'animaux ou de végétaux...

GREEN TIPS

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Disused quarries can represent a real opportunity for biodiversity. In France alone, these sites provide a...

INDICATORS

Biocapacity
National biodiversity index
Threatened ecosystems
Protected areas

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