Protecting freshwater biodiversity from non-native invasive species and their impacts is crucial for minimising both regional and global deterioration of ecosystem services. The yellow peacock bass Cichla ocellaris, a predatory freshwater fish endemic to the Amazon region, has been translocated within several Neotropical ecoregions, exhibiting harmful effects for both biodiversity and human well-being. In order to facilitate the prioritization of management efforts, which are essential for defining conservation actions in extensive and diverse areas, we propose a risk assessment index that integrates multiple ecological and environmental variables within a comprehensive framework, here applied for C. ocellaris. By considering fish species richness, occurrence frequency, and climate suitability, our index provides a more nuanced understanding of invasion risks. We have identified the Southern and Northeast Brazilian regions, as well as Central American and Caribbean ecoregions, as being at the highest risk. Within these regions, environments conducive to the establishment of C. ocellaris are currently numerous, with further exacerbation anticipated due to an increase in dam constructions in archipelagos within the Panama and Caribbean regions. Delimiting invasion risk assessments within distinct conservation units, and considering various scenarios of environmental and landscape changes, can therefore aid in prioritizing conservation measures and resource allocation by focusing efforts on areas most in need of management interventions.