Abstract
Impact assessment protocols (i.e. scoring systems) for non-native species have been developed and implemented relatively recently, driven by an increasing demand for desk study approaches to screen and classify non-native species, considering their environmental and socio-economic impacts. While a number of impact assessment protocols have been developed, there are no clear guidelines to help researchers, environmental practitioners and policy-makers understand their differences, uses and limitations, and to ultimately assist in the choice of protocol and practical implementation. In this review, we compare the main structure of 26 impact assessment protocols used for non-native plants. We describe these protocols in terms of the impact types that they include, the way in which impacts are categorized and ranked, how uncertainty is considered, and how the overall score is calculated. In general, environmental impacts are included more often than socio-economic impacts. Impacts are rated by estimates of the intensity, extent, persistence and reversibility of the impact. Uncertainty is mainly estimated by the availability and quality of the scientific information, but also by the agreement and relevance of the available evidence on impacts beyond the region in which the impact is assessed (including the assessment of climatic similarity with other invaded areas). The final impact score is usually calculated as the sum of scores, the maximum score achieved across all impact types, or a rule-based aggregation of impacts in order to provide a final rank of the non-native species. We finally indicate issues related with transparency, redundancy, clarity, friendliness, scope, scaling, reproducibility and flexibility as key challenges for impact assessment improvement.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen MC, Adams H, Hope B, Powell M (2004) Risk assessment for invasive species. Risk Anal 24:787–793. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00478.x
Andreu J, Manzano-Piedras E, Bartomeus I, Dana ED, Vilà M (2010) Vegetation response after removal of the invasive Carpobrotus hybrid complex in Andalucía, Spain. Ecol Restor 28:440–448
Bacher S, Blackburn TM, Essl F et al (2018) Socio-economic impact classification of alien taxa (SEICAT). Methods Ecol Evol 9:159–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12844
Baker RHA, Black R, Copp GH et al (2008) The UK risk assessment scheme for all non-native species. In: Rabitsch W, Essl F, Klingenstein F (eds.) Biological invasions—from ecology to conservation. Neobiota 7:46–57
Barney JN, Tekiela DR, Dollete ESJ, Tomasek BJ (2013) What is the “real” impact of invasive plant species? Front Ecol Environ 11:322–329. https://doi.org/10.1890/120120
Benke KK, Steel JL, Weiss JE (2011) Risk assessment models for invasive species: uncertainty in rankings from multi-criteria analysis. Biol Invasions 13:239–253
Blackburn TM, Essl F, Evans T et al (2014) A unified classification of alien species based on the magnitude of their environmental impacts. PLoS Biol 12:e1001850. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001850
Branquart E, Verreycken H, Vanderhoeven S, Van Rossum F, Cigar J (2009) ISEIA, a Belgian non-native species assessment protocol. Science facing aliens. Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Brussels, pp 11–17
Brunel S, Blanquart E, Fried G et al (2010) The EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants. EPPO Bull 40:407–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2010.02423.x
Burgiel SW, Perrault AM (2011) Black, white, and gray lists. In: Rejmánek M, Simberloff D (eds) Encyclopedia of biological invasions. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 75–77
Carboneras C, Genovesi P, Vilà M et al (2018) A prioritised list of invasive alien species to assist the effective implementation of EU legislation. J Appl Ecol 55:539–547
D’hondt B, Vanderhoeven S, Roelandt S et al (2015) Harmonia + and Pandora +: risk screening tools for potentially invasive plants, animals and their pathogens. Biol Invasions 17:1869–1883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-0843-1
EFSA (2011) Guidance on the environmental risk assessment of plant pests. EFSA J 9(12):2460. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2460
Essl F, Nehring S, Klingenstein F et al (2011) Review of risk assessment systems of IAS in Europe and introducing the German-Austrian black list information system (GABLIS). J Nat Conserv 19:339–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2011.08.005
Essl F, Nehring S, Klingenstein F et al (2017) Scientific and normative foundations for the valuation of alien-species impacts: thirteen core principles. Bioscience 67:166–178. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw160
Faulkner KT, Robertson MP, Rouget M, Wilson JRU (2014) A simple, rapid methodology for developing invasive species watch lists. Biol Conserv 179:25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.08.014
Gallardo B, Aldridge DC (2013) Priority setting for invasive species management: risk assessment of Ponto-Caspian invasive species into Great Britain. Ecol Appl 23:352–364
Gallardo B, Zieritz A, Adriens T et al (2016) Trans-national horizon scanning for invasive non-native species: a case study in Western Europe. Biol Invasions 18:17–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-0986-0
Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (2007) General decision process for managing invasive plant species in Garry Oak and associated ecosystems (GOEs). http://www.goert.ca/documents/General_Decision_Process_revised.pdf. Accessed 6 Nov 2018
Gilioli G, Schrader G, Carlsson N et al (2017) Environmental risk assessment for invasive alien species: a case study of apple snails affecting ecosystem services in Europe. Environ Impact Assess Rev 65:1–11
Gordon DR, Onderdonk DA, Fox AM, Stocker RK (2008) Consistent accuracy of the Australian weed risk assessment system across varied geographies. Divers Distrib 14:234–242
Hagen BL, Kumschick S (2018) The relevance of using various scoring schemes revealed by an impact assessment of feral mammals. Neobiota 8:37–75
Hawkins CL, Bacher S, Essl E et al (2015) Framework and guidelines for implementing the proposed IUCN environmental impact classification for alien taxa (EICAT). Divers Distrib 21:1360–1363. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12379
Heikkilä J (2011) A review of risk prioritization schemes of pathogens, pests and weeds: principles and practices. Agric Food Science 20:15–28
Hiebert RD, Stubbendieck JL (1993) Handbook for ranking exotic plants for management and control. Natural resources Report NPS/NRMWRO/NRR-93/08. US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Natural Resources Publication Office, Denver, Colorado
Holt J, Leach A, Knight J et al (2012) Tools for visualizing and integrating pest risk assessment ratings and uncertainties. EPPO Bull 42:35–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2012.02548.x
Hulme PE, Pyšek P, Jarošík V et al (2013) Bias and error in understanding plant invasion impacts. Trends Ecol Evol 28:212–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.10.010
Jeschke JM, Bacher S, Blackburn TM et al (2014) Defining the impact of non-native species. Conserv Biol 28:1188–1194. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12299
Johnson S (2009) NSW weed risk management system. Industry and Investment NSW, Orange
Kenis M, Bacher S, Baker RMA et al (2012) New protocols to assess the environmental impact of pests in the EPPO decision-support scheme for pest risk analysis. EPPO Bull 42:21–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2012.02527.x
Koop AL, Fowler L, Newton LP, Caton BP (2012) Development and validation of a weed screening tool for the United States. Biol Invasions 14:273–294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0061-4
Kumschick S, Bacher S, Gaertner M et al (2015) Ecological impacts of alien species: quantification, scope, caveats, and recommendations. Bioscience 65:55–63. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu193
Leung B, Roura-Pascual N, Bacher S et al (2012) TEASIng apart alien species risk assessments: a framework for best practices. Ecol Lett 15:1475–1493. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12003
Lodge DM, Simonin PW, Burgiel SW et al (2016) Risk analysis and bioeconomics of invasive species to inform policy and management. Ann Re Environ Resour 41:453–488. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085532
Mastrandrea MD, Field CB, Stocker TF et al (2011) The IPCC AR5 guidance note on consistent treatment of uncertainties: a common approach across the working groups. Clim Change 108:675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0178-6
Miller TK, Allen CR, Landis WG, Merchant JW (2010) Risk assessment: simultaneously prioritizing the control of invasive plant species and the conservation of rare plant species. Biol Conserv 143:2070–2079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.05.015
Morse LE, Randall JM, Benton N et al (2004) An invasive species assessment protocol: Evaluating non-native plants for their impact on biodiversity, Version 1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia
Mumford J, Booy O, Baker RMA et al (2010) Invasive non-native species risk assessment in Great Britain. Aspects Appl Biol 104:49–54
Nentwig W, Bacher S, Pyšek P et al (2016) The generic impact scoring system (GISS): a standardized tool to quantify the impacts of alien species. Environ Monit Assess 188:315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5321-4
Nentwig W, Mebs D, Vilà M (2017) Impact of non-native animals and plants on human health. In: Vilà M, Hulme PE (eds) Impact of biological invasions on ecosystem services. Springer International Publishing, Berlin, pp 277–293
Nentwig W, Bacher S, Kumschick S et al (2018) More than “100 worst” alien species in Europe. Biol Invas 20:1611–1621
Olenin S, Didžiulis V (2009) Introduction to the list of alien taxa. In: DAISIE (ed) Handbook of alien species of Europe. Springer, Berlin, pp 129–236
Orr R (2003) Generic nonindigenous aquatic organisms risk analysis review process. In: Ruiz GM, Carlton JT (eds) Invasive species: vectors and management strategies. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 415–438
Ou J, Lu C, O’Toole DK (2008) A risk assessment system for alien plant bio-invasion in Xiamen, China. J Environ Sci 20:989–997
Parker IM, Simberloff D, Lonsdale WM et al (1999) Impact: toward a framework for understanding the ecological effects of invaders. Biol Invasions 1:3–19. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1010034312781
Parker C, Caton BP, Fowler L (2007) Ranking nonindigenous weed species by their potential to invade the United States. Weed Sci 55:386–397. https://doi.org/10.1614/WS-06-168
Pheloung PC, Williams PA, Halloy SR (1999) A weed risk assessment model for use as a biosecurity tool evaluating plant introductions. J Environ Manage 57:239–251. https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.1999.0297
Pyšek P, Jarošík V, Hulme PE et al (2012) A global assessment of invasive plant impacts on resident species, communities and ecosystems: the interaction of impact measures, invading species’ traits and environment. Glob Chang Biol 18:1725–1737. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02636.x
Rabitsch W, Essl F, Schindler S (2017) The rise of non-native vectors and reservoirs of human diseases. In: Vilà M, Hulme PE (eds) Impact of Biological Invasions on Ecosystem Services. Springer International Publishing, Berlin, pp 263–275
Randall JM, Larry E, Morse LE et al (2008) The invasive species assessment protocol: a tool for creating regional and national lists of invasive nonnative plants that negatively impact biodiversity. Invasive Plant Sci Manag 1:36–49
Ricciardi A, Hoopes MF, Marchetti MP, Lockwood JL (2013) Progress toward understanding the ecological impacts of nonnative species. Ecol Monogr 83:263–282. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0183.1
Roy HE, Peyton J, Aldridge DC et al (2014) Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity in Great Britain. Global Change Biol 20:3859–3871. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12603
Roy EH, Rabitch W, Scalera R et al (2017) Developing a framework of minimum standards for the risk assessment of alien species. J Appl Ecol. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13025
Rumlerová Z, Vilà M, Pergl J et al (2016) Scoring environmental and socioeconomic impacts of alien plants invasive in Europe. Biol Invasions 18:3697–3711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1259-2
Sandvik H, Sæther BE, Holmern T et al (2013) Generic ecological impact assessments of alien species in Norway: a semi-quantitative set of criteria. Biodivers Conserv 22:37–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0394-z
Seebens H, Blackburn TM, Dyer EE et al (2017) No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide. Nat Commun 8:14435. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14435
Simberloff D, Alexander M (1998) Assessing risks to ecological systems from biological introductions (excluding genetically modified organisms). In: Calow P (ed) Handbook of environmental risk assessment and management. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 147–175
Turbé A, Strubbe D, Mori E et al (2017) Assessing the assessments: evaluation of four impact assessment protocols for invasive alien species. Divers Distrib 23:297–307
van Kleunen M, Dawson W, Essl F et al (2015) Global exchange and accumulation of non-native plants. Nature 525:100. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14910
Vanderhoeven S, Branquart E, Casaer J et al (2017) Beyond protocols: improving the reliability of expert-based risk analysis underpinning invasive species policies. Biol Invasions 19:2507–2517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1434-0
Vaz AS, Castro-Diez P, Godoy O et al (2018) An indicator-based approach to analyse the effects of non-native tree species on multiple cultural ecosystem services. Ecol Indic 85:48–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.009
Vilà M, Hulme PE (2017a) Impact of biological invasions on ecosystem services. Springer International Publishing, Berlin
Vilà M, Hulme PE (2017b) Non-native species, ecosystem services and human well-being. In: Vilà M, Hulme PE (eds) Impact of biological invasions on ecosystem services. Springer, Heidelberg
Vilà M, Tessier M, Suehs CM et al (2006) Local and regional assessments of the impacts of plant invaders on vegetation structure and soil properties of Mediterranean islands. J Biogeogr 33:853–861. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01430.x
Vilà M, Basnou C, Pyšek P et al (2010) How well do we understand the impacts of alien species on ecosystem services? A pan-European, cross-taxa assessment. Front Ecol Environ 8:135–144. https://doi.org/10.1890/080083
Vilà M, Espinar J, Hejda M et al (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta-analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecol Lett 14:702–708. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01628.x
Walther GR, Roques A, Hulme PE et al (2009) Alien species in a warmer world: risks and opportunities. Trends Ecol Evol 24:686–693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.06.008
Warner PJ, Bossard CC, Brooks ML et al (2003) Criteria for categorizing invasive non-native plants that threaten wildlands. California Exotic Pest Plant Council and Southwest Vegetation Management Association. http://www.caleppc.org and http://www.swvma.org. Accessed 6 Nov 2018
Yelenik SG, D’Antonio CM (2013) Self-reinforcing impacts of plant invasions change over time. Nature 503:517–520. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12798
Acknowledgements
We thank S. Kumschick and two anonymous reviewers for comments to a previous version of the manuscript. This publication is based upon work from COST Action TD1209 “Alien Challenge” (http://www.brc.ac.uk/alien-challenge/home/) supported by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). The content of this manuscript is the authors’ responsibility and neither COST nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use, which might be made of the information contained in it. The study was partially supported by the project IMPLANTIN (CGL2015-65346-R) of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO). MK and PG-M were supported by CABI with core financial support from its member countries (see http://www.cabi.org/about-cabi/who-we-work-with/key-donors/ for details).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vilà, M., Gallardo, B., Preda, C. et al. A review of impact assessment protocols of non-native plants. Biol Invasions 21, 709–723 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1872-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1872-3