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IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
Mission Statement
The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) aims to reduce threats to natural ecosystems and the native species they contain by increasing awareness of invasive alien species, and of ways to prevent, control or eradicate them.
ISSG
The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) is a global network of scientific and policy experts on invasive species, organized under the auspices of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The ISSG was established in 1994. It currently has 196 core members from over 40 countries and a wide informal global network of over 2000 conservation practitioners and experts who contribute to its work.
The Chair of the ISSG is Dr. Piero Genovesi, of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, in Italy.
What does ISSG do?
The ISSG promotes and facilitates the exchange of invasive species information and knowledge across the globe and ensures the linkage between knowledge, practice and policy so that decision making is informed.
The three core activity areas of the ISSG are policy and technical advice, information exchange and networking.
more in About ISSG>>
What’s new?
A detailed analysis of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, "Wildlife in a Changing World – an analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ has just been published.
The IUCN analysis is published every four years. The report analyses 44,838 species on the IUCN Red List and presents results by groups of species, geographical regions, and different habitats, such as marine, freshwater and terrestrial.
Results from the report shows nearly one third of amphibians, more than one in eight birds and nearly a quarter of mammals are threatened with extinction. Overall, a minimum of 16,928 species are threatened with extinction.
There are 869 recorded extinctions, with 804 species listed as Extinct and 65 listed as Extinct in the Wild:
- The number of extinctions increases to 1,159 if the 290 Critically Endangered species tagged as ‘Possibly Extinct’ are included;
- 16,928 species are threatened with extinction (3,246 are Critically Endangered, 4,770 are Endangered and 8,912 are Vulnerable);
- 3,796 species are listed as Near Threatened
- 5,570 species have insufficient information to determine their threat status and are listed as Data Deficient;
- 17,675 species are listed as Least Concern
The threat of invasive species:
- Invasive species are the fifth most severe threat to Amphibians, following habitat loss, pollution, disease and fires.
- Invasive species are the third most severe threat to Bird species after agriculture and logging.
- Invasive species are the third most severe threat to Mammals after habitat loss and utilization (mostly for food and medicine)
- Invasive species are the fourth most severe threat to Reptiles after pollution, persecution and natural disasters.
- The greatest threats in Europe are water pollution, invasive species and water extraction which impact 66%, 55% and 55% of threatened freshwater fish species, respectively.
- Invasive species are listed as a major threat to a broad range of marine species facing extinction.
more >>
Visit from the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
The work of the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) and the Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) received attention from the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on Saturday, 6 June, 2009. Ms Julia Marton Lefevre met members of the two groups at the Tamaki Campus of The University of Auckland, to discuss New Zealand’s world-leading role in invasive species management.
The Director-General was accompanied by Taholo Kami (IUCN Regional Director, Oceania), Diane Shand (IUCN Regional Councillor, Oceania) and Andrew Bignell (Manager International Relations, Department of Conservation). Prior to her visit to Tamaki Campus, Ms Lefevre had been taken to invasive species management projects at Karori in Wellington and Tiritiri Matangi in Auckland. As a result of her experiences in New Zealand and discussions with members of the ISSG and PII staff, the Director-General acknowledged the importance of invasive species management in both biodiversity and livelihood areas and pledged IUCN support for the programmes.
Ms Marton-Lefevre’s visit, her first to the region, had been highly anticipated and highlighted IUCN’s role and experiences in providing a rich platform for all stakeholders to share environmental issues in the region. Her visit also provided the opportunity for discussions to strengthen the role of IUCN in delivering its value propositions with IUCN commission members, members and potential members in the region.
May 22nd 'The International Day for Biological Diversity 2009'
Message from the Chair
May 22nd 'The International Day for Biological Diversity 2009' was dedicated to invasive alien species. Scientific evidence indicates that biological invasions are growing at an unprecedented rate, posing increasing threats to the diversity of life, and also disrupting ecosystem functionality. Global economies, as well as water supply, food security and human health are impacted negatively.
Despite the urgency to take action against invasions, public awareness on the issue is inadequate. The celebration on May 22nd hopefully made the international community realise the high costs that we are all paying to the globalization of economies, and convinced decision makers to implement the principles that were agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=7197), but never fully applied.
ISSG is ready to do its bit for supporting global action toward biological invasions; our network of leading specialists provide technical advice to policy makers, and, ISSG disseminates the most current and reliable information on invasive species ecology, their impacts on biological diversity and ways to prevent and control their spread.
Piero Genovesi
Chair IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group
more>>
Italian Minister of Environment announces support to the Global Invasive Species Database
 The Italian Minister of the Environment, Stefania Prestigiacomo, has announced financial support for the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD), the freely accessible online database of the ISSG. The GISD is acknowledged as the most authoritative and comprehensive database on alien species at the global scale. Following the appointment of Piero Genovesi as the new ISSG chair, GISD will be hosted at the Environmental Protection and Research Institute (ISPRA) in Rome, Italy.
The Italian Ministry of Environment is committed to provide financial contributions to enhance the improvement of the GISD and, in particular, to integrate it with other information services, thus increasing support to decision makers.
The commitment of the Italian Minister is a first implementation of the actions listed in the Syracuse Charter on Biodiversity, agreed at the last G8 Environment Ministers meeting, which calls for developing and strengthening actions to prevent and control the spread of invasive alien species, and support to global information systems.
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 Celebrating Biodiversity
The United Nations has declared 2010 as the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’. For the next 12 months we will be celebrating biological diversity – the variety of life on earth – and boosting awareness of how important it is for our lives. more >>
A Message from the Chair IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. more >>
Species of the Day
To coincide with the International Year of Biodiversity and increase awareness of the huge variety of life and to raise the profile of threatened species, IUCN has launched the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ “Species of the Day”. Each day in 2010, a different species will be featured on a range of websites and through other media channels. A variety of all life on earth will be showcased, including both charismatic and obscure species.
IUCN Oceania partnership with the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)’s Regional Office for the Pacific (ROP) New Zealand. more>>
Analysis of the 2008 Red List. more>>
Visit from the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) more>>
May 22nd 'The International Day for Biological Diversity 2009' more>>
Italian Minister of Environment announces support to the Global Invasive Species Database.
more>>
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