From local alerts to European policy impact: toward faster detection and communication of invasive species threats

Slides for an oral presentation given at Living Data 2025, October 21 - 24 of 2025
Bogotá, Colombia.
Conference website: https://www.livingdata2025.com/index.html

Transcript

1. Damiano Oldoni INBO, Belgium Toward faster detection and communication of invasive species threats From local alerts to European policy impact © OpenStreetMap contributors
2. Damiano Oldoni Nicolas Noé Authors Tim Adriaens Ana Cristina Cardoso Fabio D'Amico Quentin Groom Lien Reyserhove Stelios Katsanevakis
3. - Invasive Alien Species (IAS) - Impact: - Biodiversity loss - Economic - Health - Prevent introduction - First form of biosecurity - Introductions still occur Invasive Alien Species A CSV file with bird+tag deployments Poster of the National Scientific Secretariat on IAS Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
4. - Early detection - Most cost-effective way - Avoid expansion - Preserve protected areas Invasive Alien Species A CSV file with bird+tag deployments Poster of the National Scientific Secretariat on IAS Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
5. - Software (web, app, …) - Based on data - Detect new occurrences - Detections trigger alerts (email, …) - Users: field management organisations, scientists, policymakers Early alert tool Example of an email alert (LIFE RIPARIAS Alert tool)
6. LIFE RIPARIAS - Project reference: LIFE19 NAT/BE/000953 - Project location: Belgium - Piloted in the Dijle, Mark and Zenne river basins - Duration: 6 years (01/01/2021 – 31/12/2026) - 30 target species LIFE RIPARIAS target species
7. LIFE RIPARIAS Early Alert tool - Web application - Based on GBIF occurrences - Open software - First version presented at TDWG2022 (abstract, slides)
8. LIFE RIPARIAS Early Alert tool - We needed to open the data - Data standardisation (Darwin Core) - Data mobilisation to GBIF - 12 datasets - 4 new GBIF data publishers - Automatic pipelines New GBIF data publishers
9. LIFE RIPARIAS Early Alert tool - alert.riparias.be - 139 species - 175 registered users - 150 alerts - 1000+ areas (shared, users defined) - 1200+ data imports
10. GBIF Alert - Make the LIFE RIPARIAS Early Alert tool replicable - Variables: target area and species - Invariants: alert logic, data visualisation, data import
11. GBIF Alert - Configuration (variables) - Engine (invariants) - GBIF Alert is the engine - GBIF Alert + configuration = Early Alert tool - Heavy refactoring - Winner of the Ebbe Nielsen Challenge 2023
12. Long live GBIF Alert - LIFE RIPARIAS budget for software development is over - Further development via GuardIAS and OneSTOP - EU funded projects started in 2025 Creator: Marleen Schouten. Publisher: iNaturalist. Record licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0 Ref: https:/ /www.inaturalist.org/photos/517796036 Creator: martadellorso. Publisher: iNaturalist. Record licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0 Ref: https:/ /www.inaturalist.org/photos/477264535
13. EASIN - In partnership with the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) - Supports implementation of EU Regulation 1143/2014 on invasive alien species - EASIN Notification System
14. Road ahead - Upscaling - 103, 104 species - Cover all EU countries - Heterogeneity of users - Performance - Alignment with existing EASIN software tools - Potential impact on decision-making Number of freshwater alien species with high impact in river basin districts. QueryID: 8f786b74-a071-442b-a678-45f6475b01f2 © OpenStreetMap contributors.
15. Road ahead - EASIN as GBIF publisher - EASIN as GBIF network - Set up new data flows to GBIF - Gather user needs via workshops - Define software requirements Number of species introduced via CBD Pathway Transport - Stowaway, Data from Invasive Alien Species in Europe (IASE) app only. QueryID: 479a446e-5856-4f5e-84cd-874abd114751 © OpenStreetMap contributors.
16. - Develop good and open software - Use data standards - Provide support - Transfer knowledge - Handover before the end of the project(s) Life after funding? Creator: Martin Brogger. Publisher: iNaturalist. Record licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0 Ref: https:/ /www.inaturalist.org/photos/466016132
17. Thank you! damiano.oldoni@inbo.be 0000-0003-3445-7562 bit.ly/46XTYaw GuardIAS receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme (ID No 101181413). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the EU nor REA can be held responsible for them. Creator: animalencounters. Publisher: iNaturalist. Record licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0 Ref: https:/ /www.inatu.../photos/398352132