Introduction, spread, and impacts of invasive alien mammal species in Europe.

Dino Biancolini,Lisa Tedeschi,Franz Essl,César Capinha,Carlo Rondinini

doi:10.1111/mam.12277

Dino Biancolini, Lisa Tedeschi + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12277

Copy DOI

Abstract

Biological invasions have emerged as one of the main drivers of biodiversity change and decline, and numbers of species classed as alien in parts of their ranges are rapidly rising. The European Union established a dedicated regulation to limit the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS), which is focused on the species on a Union List of IAS of particular concern. However, no previous study has specifically addressed the ecology of invasive alien mammals included on the Union List.We performed a systematic review of published literature on these species. We retrieved 262 publications dealing with 16 species, and we complemented these with the most up‐to‐date information extracted from global databases on IAS.We show that most of the study species reached Europe as pets and then escaped from captivity or were intentionally released. On average each year in the period 1981–2020, 1.2 species were recorded for the first time as aliens in European countries, and most species are still expanding their alien ranges by colonising neighbouring territories. France is the most invaded nation, followed by Germany, Italy, and the Russian Federation, and the muskrat Ondatra zibethicus, the American mink Neovison vison, and the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides are the most widespread species, having invaded at least 27 countries each. Invasive mammals of European Union concern are threatening native biodiversity and human well‐being: worryingly, 81% of the 16 study species are implicated in the epidemiological cycle of zoonotic pathogens.Containing secondary spread to further countries is of paramount importance to avoid the establishment of new populations of invasive mammals and the related impacts on native communities, ecosystem services, and human health.We present a compendium on the ecology and impacts of invasive mammals of European Union concern. It can be used to assist environmental policies, identify and subsequently fill knowledge gaps, and inform stakeholders.

Highlights

The human-m ediated introduction of species to regions outside their native range has become one of the main drivers of biodiversity change and decline in recent human history (IPBES 2019)
The European Union established a dedicated regulation to limit the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS), which is focused on the species on a Union List of IAS of particular concern
We present a compendium on the ecology and impacts of invasive mammals of European Union concern

Summary

Introduction

The human-m ediated introduction of species to regions outside their native range has become one of the main drivers of biodiversity change and decline in recent human history (IPBES 2019). Many species introduced in new regions fail to establish self-sustaining populations or remain localised, whereas others become permanent additions to the receiving ecosystems and spread over substantial distances In doing so, they can have severe impacts on native biota (Blackburn et al 2019) at different biological organisation levels (Hawkins et al 2015), ecosystems services (Vilà & Hulme 2017), and human livelihoods (Bradshaw et al 2016, Diagne et al 2021); i.e., they can become invasive alien species (IAS). The prevention and mitigation of biological invasions in Europe is a significant challenge, as policies are devoted to the free circulation of goods and people (Genovesi et al 2015) To address this issue, the European Union (EU) adopted the Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014, aimed at the prevention of IAS introduction and spread (EU 2014).

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion