An interesting study looked at a large infrastructure development project and identified areas of high risk for invasion by non native species. The China’s Belt and Road Initiative project involves six proposed economic corridors and 121 countries. Researchers examined habitat suitability and risk of invasion, finding 14 hotspots containing both high habitat suitability AND high risk. While N.America was not a part of this project, we have trading partners that intersect with with countries that are. I encourage you all to look at some of the maps they produced and factors that went into the modelling process! This highlights a need for biosecurity protocols and increasing local capacity to support monitoring efforts/rapid response in preventing invasive species from becoming established.
Please check out the research entitled "Risks of Biological Invasion on the Belt and Road" by Liu et. al. (2019) found here.
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AuthorShikha Singh is the coordinator for the JLW CISMA. She has a BSc. in Biology from University of Western Ontario, and her master's and PhD at Michigan State University from the Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife. Her areas of expertise include water quality, water policy, invasive species, education/outreach and public speaking. |