Biological invasions are one of the most important causes of biodiversity loss and a key component of global change. In marine environments, the assessment and management of biological invasions is more challenging than in terrestrial environments, and a broad coordination among marine regions is crucial to gain successful results. As prevention is considered the best approach to reduce the impacts of marine biological invasions, most efforts are focused on monitoring high- risk areas for the introduction of NIS (e.g., ports and aquaculture facilities) and management actions are targeted to the introduction vectors, with the aim to reduce the rates of introduction and establishment by at least 50 percent, by 2030 (Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, UN Convention on Biological Diversity CBD/COP/15/L25, 2022).

In recent years, an important global achievement for the management of alien species was the Ballast Water Management Convention, which aims to control the introduction of alien species via ballast waters of large commercial vessels. On the other hand, other vectors are still not regulated in most countries. Of considerable concern is biofouling (i.e., the undesirable biological colonization of immersed artificial substrates), which is currently the most high-risk non-regulated vector in the world. Despite some countries being strongly active in the monitoring and management of alien species (e.g., Australia, New Zealand), the majority do not have an action plan, baseline data on marine biodiversity or an assessment on the main pathways and vectors of introduction.

Furthermore, many regions do not have the capacity to undertake such initiatives. For this reason, another complementary strategy is to increase the resistance of sites to biological invasions, by protecting the ones more at risk with eco-engineering interventions, which are designed to enhance biodiversity in human-made areas.

Therefore, the prevention and management of alien species is still an ongoing process, and many knowledge gaps still need to be filled in the field of marine bioinvasions.

This Research Topic aims to collect papers on different aspects of marine bioinvasions, mainly related to fill the gaps of knowledge on this issue, as a suggestion:

● Collection of baseline data in data-poor regions.
● Assessment of the level of spread of alien species from the recipient regions
(e.g., ports, aquaculture sites) to the surrounding natural areas.
● Advanced methods and techniques for effective early-detection of alien
species.
● Studies on impact assessment of alien species in the recipient regions and
the biological interactions with the native communities.
● Assessment on the effectiveness of early response and possible
management actions.
● Elaboration and implementation of novel methods for eradication and control
of invasive alien species.
● Eco-engineering approaches to create low-risk areas for alien species
introduction in potential hotspots.
● Predictions of invasions through the use of watch lists and travel patterns.
● Predictions of spread considering global climate change.

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Frontiers in Marine Science

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