What it is to be established: policy and management implications for non-native and invasive species

摘要

Management of invasive species, whether prevention, population reduction, or eradication, requires assessment of theinvasive species’ population status and an assessment of the probability of success of management options. Perceptions of aspecies’ permanence in an environment or lack thereof frequently drives how limited time, financial, and personnel resourcesare allocated to such efforts. Language we use to describe a non-native species’ status largely defines these perceptions andsets boundaries, real or perceived, to potential management actions. Here we discuss the use of a particular term – “established” –when confronting management decisions for invasive species. Our objective is to contribute to bridging the gap between therealms of conceptual development and management with respect to use of the term “established”. We find that although thereare benefits of polysemy and synonymy to conceptual development they present an additional challenge to managers whomust weigh the costs, benefits, and potential for success of particular management actions. We also examine how existingconceptual frameworks might be augmented to bridge the theoretical-practical gap, such as more precisely defining potentialmanagement actions and explicitly including assessment of risk.