Harmonising Terminology and Records of Plant Invasion Status Across Federally Managed Countries

• Published in: Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 2024-10, Vol.8, p.61
• Main Authors: Martín-Forés, Irene, Guerin, Greg, Lewis, Donna, Gallagher, Rachael, Vilà, Montserrat, Catford, Jane, Pauchard, Aníbal, Sparrow, Ben
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Biodiversity; Biosecurity; Classification; Collaboration; Decision making; Ecosystem management; Information processing; Interoperability; Introduced species; Invasions; Invasive species; New records; Plants; Structure-function relationships; Terminology
• ISSN: 2535-0897; 2535-0897
• DOI: 10.3897/biss.8.138343

Plant invasions are a major threat worldwide, posing significant ecological and economic threats. In federally managed countries—where policy implementation is divided among various jurisdictions under a central federal government—alien plant species pose an even more difficult challenge for management at the national scale due to the fragmented nature of information provided by independent jurisdictions. This has led to inconsistencies in the terminology used to describe species status along the introduction-naturalisation-invasion continuum and disparities in the classification reported by each jurisdiction. Such contrasting information impedes data interoperability at the national level, hampering efficient management and biosecurity actions. This highlights the urgent need for a harmonised framework to ensure data interoperability on biological invasions. Australia, with its rich endemism and federal structure, provides a robust case to harmonise disparate data sources. We first reviewed the different terminology frameworks proposed for biological invasions (either ecologically- or policy-based, emphasising, respectively, species' ability to overcome ecological barriers, and impact). We then integrated such frameworks to develop a harmonised framework of invasion terminology for Australia, while also considering the language used by states' Australian herbaria (Martín-Forés et al. 2024). To do so, we developed an R script to compare existing Australian data sources for vascular plant taxa, including the Australian Plant Census (APC), state and territory censuses, and the Australian Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS). The script consists of a harmonised workflow that identifies mismatches in definitions and records among these sources, enabling us to propose prioritisation procedures to tackle these, and subsequently integrate information into a unified status for each species at the national scale (Martín-Forés et al. 2023b). The integration of these contrasting data culminated in the creation of a standardised dataset at the Australian national scale, the Alien Flora of Australia (AFA) (Martín-Forés et al. 2023a, Martín-Forés et al. 2023c). The AFA poses a significant advancement in the management of alien flora. The up-to-date information presented in the AFA can aid in early warning of species introduction, facilitate decision-making at various levels, and enhance national biosecurity. The associated script is ready to be imp