sDiv working group initiates new IUCN standard

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In 2013, the sDiv working group sImpact started to develop classification and quantification standards for impacts of invasive alien species. A workshop with 16 international experts including Ingolf Kühn (UFZ, iDiv) and Marten Winter (iDiv) was the starting point of the so called Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT). EICAT has now been officially adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a classification standard in the same way as its Red Lists. The system was requested by the CBD to evaluate the achievements with regard to the AICHI Biodiversity Target 9 and UN Sustainable Development Goal 15, which deal with invasive alien species. EICAT is an important success for iDiv's synthesis center sDiv and clearly shows that many processes in science take time. “Since scientific results are often translated into relevant applications years later, long-term support is particularly important." says Head of sDiv, Marten Winter.

Sebastian Tilch