Limited global awareness of invasive alien species and little support for their management
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the main drivers of global change and can cause a wide range of negative ecological and social impacts. Addressing these impacts requires management actions, which can fail to be effective when not supported by the public. Here, we conducted the first global survey on people's awareness and perceptions of IAS and support for their management. Our results revealed low public awareness and understanding of biological invasions, and suggest that these are mainly influenced by people's sociodemographic status rather than the social-ecological contexts. Greater awareness of IAS was associated with more negative perceptions toward them and greater support for their management. A large majority of people did not support the use of most management measures. These results suggest that limited public awareness may represent a major obstacle to successfully managing IAS globally, highlighting the need for broader public communication, outreach, and engagement.
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Authors: Ana Novoa, Ross Shackleton, Sven Bacher, Pavel Pipek, Ratcha Chaichana, Ali El-Keblawy, Bella Galil, Margherita Gioria, Marina Golivets, Tina D'Hertefeldt, Makihiko Ikegami, Ivan Jarić, Christian A. Kull, Nitya Prakash Mohanty, Zarah Pattison, Aníbal Pauchard, Jan Pergl, Cristina Preda, Klára Pyšková, Jonatan Rodríguez, Kateřina Štajerová, Thi Hai van Nguyen, Ayşe Yazlık, Rafael D. Zenni, Petr Pyšek
Institutions: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Charles University, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Bern, Universidade Federal de Lavras, University of Lausanne, University of Sharjah, Tel Aviv University, University of Stirling, Kasetsart University, Université Paris-Saclay, Düzce Üniversitesi, University of Pisa, Stellenbosch University, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, University of Concepción, University of Fribourg, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Ovidius University, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Halmstad University, Ecologie, Société, Evolution, Estacion Experimental de Zonas Aridas, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Wyss Academy for Nature