First Iberian Guide on Aquatic Invasive Alien Species Launched
On November 18th, the “Guide to Exotic and Invasive Species of Rivers, Lakes and Estuaries of the Iberian Peninsula” was launched online in Portuguese, Spanish and English. An essential work resulting from the international project LIFE INVASAQUA with the participation of researchers from the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences (MARE) of the University of Évora (UÉ).
This book involved 42 Portuguese and Spanish scientists and contains files dedicated to 100 species from different taxonomic groups, with photos, distribution maps in the Iberian Peninsula and description of the characteristics of each organism. The current version is free to download in any of the three languages and will be released in print after the pandemic situation normalizes.
In a simple and didactic way, the concept of Invasive Exotic Species (EIS) is defined and it explains how they are dispersed, what their impacts are and what we can do to avoid or minimize the problem. The introduction of EEIs is the main cause of extinction of native species, causing economic damage that exceeds 12 billion euros per year in the context of the European Union. Some of these species are also responsible for public health problems.
The preparation of this guide also counted on the Portuguese Association of Environmental Education (ASPEA) and the Iberian Society of Ictiology (SIBIC). The LIFE INVASAQUA project's main objective is to raise the awareness of society and policy makers for the prevention and early warning of the occurrence of EEIs. This project collaborated in the implementation of a European mobile phone application dedicated to EEIs, developed a survey at the Iberian level on public perception of these species, and recently launched the Veja-Lave-Seque campaign to prevent their dispersion in the aquatic environment.
