Abstract
Political action can reduce introductions of diseases caused by invasive forest pathogens (IPs) and public support is important for effective prevention. The public’s awareness of IP problems and the acceptability of policies aiming to combat these pathogens were surveyed in nine European countries (N = 3469). Although awareness of specific diseases (e.g., ash dieback) varied, problem awareness and policy acceptability were similar across countries. The public was positive towards policies for informational measures and stricter standards for plant production, but less positive towards restricting public access to protected areas. Multilevel models, including individual and country level variables, revealed that media exposure was positively associated with awareness of IP problems, and strengthened the link between problem awareness and policy acceptability. Results suggest that learning about IPs through the media and recognizing the associated problems increase policy acceptability. Overall, the study elaborates on the anthropogenic dimension of diseases caused by IPs.
Highlights
Globalization facilitates the introduction of animals, plants, pathogens, and microbes to areas beyond their natural range
Using a survey in nine countries covering different parts of Europe, we examined the relationships between direct and indirect experience of tree diseases and invasive forest pathogens (IPs), awareness, problem awareness, and the acceptability of policy measures aiming to combat IPs at the European scale
While Dutch elm disease was the most well-known IP in the UK, Sweden, Norway, and Turkey, the pine wood nematode was more familiar to the public in Spain
Summary
Globalization facilitates the introduction of animals, plants, pathogens, and microbes to areas beyond their natural range. Introduced species may become invasive, i.e., establish reproducing populations in these new areas, spread and, in some cases (especially for pathogens), cause negative impact on resident species. The introductions of diseases caused by invasive forest pathogens (IP) can have detrimental effects on several ecosystem functions and services, including extraction of raw materials from the forest (e.g., timber), and aesthetics when trees in recreational areas are affected (Santini et al 2013; Lovett et al 2016). Examples of previous devastating pandemics by invasive forest pathogens causing the mortality of keystone forest tree species include Dutch elm disease and Chestnut blight in North America and Europe (Brasier 2000; Elliott and Swank 2008). Since it is difficult to eliminate an introduced species once it has been established, it is imperative to take action to prevent their introduction
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