Biology Seminar Series
Speaker: Dr. Louisa Wood
Research Fellow, Center for Blue Governance
University of Portsmouth
United Kingdom
Will present a talk titled:
Managing aquatic invasions: priorities for policy
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems can be severely threatened by invasive non-native species, which contribute to extinctions of individual species, substantially change the structure of native communities, and alter ecosystem functioning. On a global level, recent studies have indicated that aquatic invasions have cost the economy US$345 billion. To address these challenges, policymakers, managers and academics have taken a multidisciplinary approach to managing invasive species, with prevention recognised as the most cost-effective approach to reducing impacts. In this talk, I will discuss two projects that used very different methods to assess the risk of invasive species introduction, and the corresponding implications for management. In this first example, we used particle tracking modelling combined with spatial analysis of environmental suitability, to highlight UK coastal areas at risk of introduction and spread of the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) by the unaided pathway. Findings are discussed in the context of national M. gigas management, with discussion of the challenging balance between authorisation of new M. gigas aquaculture sites and potential impacts on protected areas. In the second example, we take a very different approach – using questionnaires to ask the risk of hazard introduction into the UK aquatic environment via the ornamental fish trade. We discuss recommendations for reducing the risk of invasive non-native species introduction via this pathway, including improving and enforcing robust pre- and at-border control measures and stakeholder engagement methods
Date: 1 April 2022
Time: 2:00 pm
Zoom Link: Please contact adavid@clarkson.edu for zoom information