IUCN launches new standard for impact classification of alien taxa

On 15th September 2020 at the Neobiota conference, the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa - EICAT for short - was officially launched as a new Standard of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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Read more about the article Impacts of snails and slugs as alien species
The African giant land snail (Achatina fulica) is one of the most devastating snails globally as it has decimated native snails on islands. It has not been reported as alien in South Africa to this date, but it is common in the pet trade. (Photo credit: By Thomas Brown [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)]

Impacts of snails and slugs as alien species

Even though snails and slugs (gastropods) are some well-known agricultural pests, environmental systems are more vulnerable to alien gastropod impacts. A recent study by C·I·B Hons student, David Kesner and C·I·B Core Team Member, Dr Sabrina Kumschick, at Stellenbosch University on this topic was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

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Impacts of feral mammals assessed using three frameworks

Feral mammals impact the recipient environments in various and often devastating ways. The finding was the result of a study by former C·I·B Hons student Bianca Hagen and C·I·B core team member Dr Sabrina Kumschick at Stellenbosch University. The study, which was published in NeoBiota, classified impacts using three scoring schemes.

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