On December 12, IPBES in Denmark will host another symposium, this time focusing on invasive species as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Based on the latest global IPBES report, the program features presentations by leading experts from Denmark and abroad, with a focus ranging from a global overview to specific local cases.
Invasive species have been identified by IPBES as one of the five main causes of global biodiversity loss. Invasive species are implicated in the extinction of 60% of species globally, and in 16% of documented cases, they are the primary cause of a species’ disappearance from the Earth’s surface. In particular, the negative impact of invasive species on islands is significant.
Global IPBES Report Shines a Light on the Under-Reported Problem
The annual economic impact of invasive species is estimated at many hundreds of billions of dollars, and the benefits that invasive species may provide are far outweighed by the losses, which include the degradation of ecosystem services, including food production. The scale and costs of this challenge have been underreported until very recently. In September 2023, the 140 member states of IPBES adopted the latest global consensus report Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control, which is the result of four years of work led by 86 scientists and experts from 49 countries.
To date, policy decisions and their implementation have been insufficient to prevent and control invasive species, and the threat is growing in all parts of the world. At the same time, the global report points out that the spread of invasive species and their negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services can be limited and prevented.
Program Published
Based on the report’s conclusions and recommended courses of action, the Danish IPBES Office is hosting a symposium on biodiversity and invasive species on December 12, December, where, together with Danish and international experts, we will take a close look at this timely topic and zoom in on the causes and possible courses of action from both a global perspective and in practice-oriented local contexts.
Register here for the symposium on invasive species on December 12
Among the symposium’s keynote speakers and presenters, we are pleased to introduce Professor Helen Roy from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, a leading expert in the field who led the scientific work for the report, as well as Associate Professor Alejandro Ordonez Gloria from Aarhus University, who is a co-author of the report.
The symposium’s topics range widely from global trends and issues to marine invasive species in Danish waters, Pacific oysters, black-mouthed gobies, raccoon dog and wrinkled rose control, as well as the management of invasive species in Denmark and new perspectives on a Danish biodiversity law.
In addition to presentations by the authors of the international IPBES report, there will be presentations by, among others, Signe Normand, professor at Aarhus University and chair of the Biodiversity Council; Professor Peter Stæhr (AU); Senior Researcher Beate Strandberg (AU); Professor Henrik Glenner (KU and the University of Bergen); Senior Researcher Jane Behrens (DTU Aqua); Per-Arne Åhlén and Henrik Lange (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), Hans Wernberg (Care4Nature), and Mariann Chriél from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
View the final program via the symposium’s registration portal, where you can also register: Read more and register here
The symposium is being held in collaboration with Aarhus University, with funding from the 15 June Foundation. The symposium is open to everyone, but registration is required. The participation fee is 75 DKK, including tax and meals.
