Recent research has shown that Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are on the rise due to the synergistic effects of climate change and habitat destruction. The impacts of AIS on biodiversity, human health, and loss of ecosystem services (food, tourism and water provision) have long been known, but their control and management has now become a worldwide priority. Successful management of AIS is challen
ging because it requires several steps in succession:
(1) early detection,
(2) identification of routes of introduction and pathways of dispersal, and
(3) development of efficient control measures, also critical for preventing new introductions and for mitigating the impact of existing ones is public awareness and stakeholder involvement . The main research goal of AQUAINVAD-ED is to exploit novel molecular advances combined with the power of crowd data sourcing (citizen science) to develop innovative methods of early detection, control and management of AIS. This will be achieved via a multi-disciplinary consortium of experts in invasion biology, ecology, marine and fresh-water biotechnology, citizen science and environmental policy working in three different countries (UK, Spain & Italy).
