Non-Indigenous Species (EO 2)
Non-indigenous species introduced by human activities are at levels that do not adversely alter the ecosystem.
Ecological Objective 2 (EO2) Definition:
Non-indigenous species introduced by human activities are at levels that do not adversely alter the ecosystem
Key Messages:
- Corridors are the most important pathways of new introductions in the Mediterranean, followed by shipping and aquaculture. A considerable increase is noticeable in the trends of new non-indigenous species introduced to the Mediterranean Sea.
- Progress has been made in creating national and regional inventories of non-indigenous species and assessing their pathways and impacts.
- Evidence for most of the reported impacts of alien species is weak, mostly based on expert judgement; a need for stronger inference is needed based on experiments or ecological modelling. The assessment of trends in abundance and spatial distribution is largely lacking. NIS identification is of crucial importance, and the lack of taxonomical expertise has already resulted in several NIS having been overlooked for certain time periods. The use of molecular approaches including bar-coding are often useful besides traditional species identification.
- Regular dedicated monitoring and long- time series will be needed so that estimation of such trends is possible in the future. There is a need for better coordination at national and sub-regional level on NIS monitoring.
Regular reporting for all Ecological Objectives should be established/strengthened.
