D

A

I

S

I

E

ELIVERING

LIEN

NVASIVE

PECIES

NVENTORIES FOR

UROPE

DAISIE will deliver an Alien Species Gateway to act as a “one-stop-shop” for information on biological invasions in Europe.

Biological invasions by non-native or “alien” speciesare widely recognised as a significant component of human-caused global environment change. Alienspecies can act as vectors for new diseases, alterecosystem processes, change biodiversity, disrupt the cultural landscape, reduce the value of land andwater for human activities and cause other socio-economic consequences for humans. Alien speciesencompass many diverse taxa that threaten a widerange of European marine, brackish, freshwater andterrestrial environments.

DAISIE will address the need for a regional network ofinvasive alien species information. With direct accessto national knowledge bases throughout Europe, thoseaddressing the invasive alien species challenge willeasily obtain data on which species are invasive orpotentially invasive in particular habitats, and use thisinformation in their planning efforts.

Invasive Alien Species in Europe

Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis. Photo: Mark Hulme/WWT

The general objectives of DAISIE are:

1. To create an inventory of invasive species thatthreaten European terrestrial, freshwater andmarine environments,

2. To structure the inventory to provide the basis for prevention and control of biological invasionsthrough the understanding of the environmental,social, economic and other factors involved,

3. To assess and summarise the ecological, economicand health impacts of the most widespread and/ornoxious invasive species in Europe,

4. To use distribution data and the experiences of the individual Member States as a framework forconsidering indicators for early warning.

These objectives will be delivered via an internationalteam of leading experts in the field of biological in-vasions, latest technological developments in databasedesign and display, and an extensive network of European stakeholders.

DAISIE Objectives

Spanish slug, Arion vulgaris. Photo: Inger Weidema

An up-to-date inventory of all alien species known toinhabit Europe is essential to build an early detectionand warning system for Europe’s environmentalmanagers. The development of a European AlienSpecies Database will involve compiling and peer-reviewing initial national lists of hundreds of species of fungi, plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

• provide a qualified reference system on invasivealien species in Europe, available online for envi-ronmental managers, researchers, students and all concerned,

• update the information on invasive alien species,their biology, vectors of introduction, spread,impacts on environment and economy,

• encourage the exchange of data among differentgeographical regions and thereby to serve a nodein the Global Information System for InvasiveSpecies.

The nomadic jellyfish Rhopilemanomadica. Photo: Mel Cooper

The European Alien Species Database

Zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorphagrowing on a chain. Photo: Dan Minchin.

The Alien Species Expertise RegistryThe European Alien Species Expertise Registry is a fundamental step towards linking and mobilisingcurrent expertise in biological invasions, to contributeknowledge and data to meet European requirementsin dealing with invasive alien species. The EuropeanAlien Species Expertise Registry may be used to:

• assemble and assess the current breadth andscope of knowledge on alien species,

• identify gaps in taxonomic expertise, limited regionalcapacity and future research clusters,

• identify experts who can contribute to the differentareas of DAISIE e.g. species accounts, inventories,analyses etc.

• facilitate clustering and information sharing amongdifferent national programmes targeting the sameinvasive alien species.

The European Alien Species Expertise Registry willcontain details for individual experts including: contactinformation, thematic areas of expertise such astaxonomy, population ecology, management, impactassessment, as well as current and recent researchprojects, publications and reports.

For more information and to register your expertise in the Alien Species Expertise Registry visit www.europe-aliens.org.

Grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis. Photo: Sandro Bertolino

Blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus. Photo: Bella Galil

The Invasive Alien Species AccountsThe DAISIE Invasive Alien Species Accounts will provi-de information on invasive alien species to agencies,resource managers, decision-makers, and interestedindividuals. The Invasive Alien Species Accounts willfocus on invasive species that threaten the naturalenvironment and will cover all taxonomic groups.Species information will include: biology, ecology,distribution, management information, references,contacts, links and images. The Invasive Alien SpeciesAccounts will be fully referenced, searchable viakeywords and include information on impacts. The Invasive Alien Species Accounts will be used to:

• generate reliable species accounts for major pestspecies in Europe,

• provide information upon which to base prevention and control of invasive species,

• assess the ecological, economic and healthimpacts of invasive alien species,

• raise awareness of biological invasions in Europeand highlight gaps in knowledge.

Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzia-num. Photo: Petr Pysek

Geranium bronze butterfly, Cacyreusmarshalli. Photo: Nick Greatorex-Davies

Distribution Maps and Spatial AnalysisA key requirement for the effective management ofinvasive alien species is the ability to identify, map,and monitor invasions. Presentation of data of invasivealien species, known or suspected of having environ-mental or economic impacts in Europe, as GIS sup-ported distribution maps and subsequent analysis ofthe spatial data will be developed within DAISIE to:

• identify the scale and spatial pattern of invasivealien species in Europe,

• understand the environmental, social, economicand other factors involved in invasions,

• use distribution data as a framework for consideringindicators for early warning initiatives,

• disseminate information of invasion risk rapidly tostakeholders, policy makers and the public.

DAISE Project Coordinator: Philip HulmeNERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, United Kingdom.

Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic. Contact: Petr Pysek

University of Bern, Switzerland. Contact: Wolfgang Nentwig

Umweltforschungscentrum Leipzig-Halle, Germany. Contact: Stefan KlotzGoConsult, Germany. Contact: Stephan Gollasch

Marine Organisms Investigations, Ireland. Contact: Dan Minchin

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Sweden. Contact: Melanie Josefsson

Centre for Ecological Research & Forestry Applications, Spain. Contact: Montserrat Vilà

Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, Russia. Contact: Vadim Panov

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France. Contact: Alain Roques

National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece. Contact: Margarita Arianoutsou

Cartography Centre of Fauna & Flora, Slovenia. Contact: Katja PoboljsajUniversity of Ljubljana. Slovenia. Contact: Matej David

Coastal Research & Planning Institute, Klaipeda University, Lithuania Contact: Sergej Olenin

INFS, Italian Wildlife Institute, Italy. Contact: Piero Genovesi

Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel. Contact: Salit KarkNational Institute of Oceanography, Israel. Contact: Bella Galil

Federal Environmental Agency, Austria. Contact: Franz Essl

DAISIE’s European Partnership

DAISIE is funded within the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development, & Demonstration Activities, Contract no. SSPI-CT-2003-511202. Project lifetime: 2005–2008.ISBN:91-620-8220-5

www.europe-aliens.org