PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 25: Invasive Species II: Aquatic Systems.
Presiding: G Rilov
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 205.
An assessment of the biological and socio-economic impacts of invasive alien species on freshwater ecosystems.
Meyerson, Laura*,1, Reaser, Jamie2, Ciruna, Kristine3, Bartuska, Ann4, 1 AAAS Environmental Fellow, Washington, DC2 Global Invasive Species Programme, Washington, DC3 Nature Conservancy of Canada, Victoria, BC, CA4 The Nature Conservancy, Ballston, VA
ABSTRACT- The Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), on behalf of the Convention on Biological Diversity, held a workshop in June 2003 to bring together a small group of experts to assess the biological and socio-economic impacts of IAS on freshwater ecosystems globally. The questions addressed included: What are the major biological and socio-economic impacts of IAS on freshwater systems? What variables influence the impacts of IAS on freshwater ecosystems? What are the best practice measures for the prevention, eradication, and control of IAS in freshwater ecosystems? How do the principles/practices differ from other systems? What gaps in knowledge exist and how can they be filled? The outcomes of the workshop are being used to develop a report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, as well as publications for resource managers and conservation ecologists. The assessment of the impacts of IAS on freshwater ecosystems is one of four ecosystem-based assessments to be conducted by GISP for the CBD. A similar workshop was held in October 2002 in Hawaii to address IAS in island ecosystems. Funds permitting, future studies will assess the impacts of IAS in arid and semi-arid grasslands and tropical forests.
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