Two Horizon Europe projects tackling biological invasions
Addressing the threat of invasive alien species is achievable but urgent (Roy et al. 2024). Innovative approaches, including novel tools and technologies, to manage biological invasions will play an important role in ensuring progress towards Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Aiming to develop such innovative approaches, two three-year Horizon Europe projects started on January 1, 2025, focused on aquatic (GuardIAS) and terrestrial (OneSTOP) invasions:
The OneSTOP project - OneBiosecurity Systems and Technology for People, Places and Pathways
Involving 19 partners, OneSTOP aims to integrate detection methods, underpinned by risk prioritisation and scenario modelling, alongside stakeholder engagement to address terrestrial invasive alien species in Europe and beyond. The focus of the project is to inform harmonised policies and facilitate knowledge exchange to ultimately reduce the impacts of these species.
The recently approved Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Thematic assessment report on invasive alien species and their control (hereafter referred to as the IPBES IAS Assessment) outlined strategic actions within an integrated governance system aiming to underpin national and international goals and targets for biological invasions (IPBES, 2023). OneSTOP is built on these strategic actions and includes four pillars (Figure 1), detection, prioritisation, dissemination and socio-political action, each contributing to the overarching aim to maximise the contributions from across various
sectors within the terrestrial realm to reduce the threat and impact of invasive alien species.
There are many current challenges that limit the effective deployment of invasive alien species management approaches. As examples, there are often delays in detecting and responding to alien species and the speed at which data are mobilised for decision-making is often insufficient. OneSTOP will assess the potential of emerging technologies to address the shortfalls. Air-DNA, iEcology, computer vision, and use of citizen science in gardens as sentinel sites all have considerable potential and will be the focus of OneSTOP activities with specific emphasis on increasing the technical readiness levels for widespread deployment. OneSTOP will also explore the synergies amongst the technologies aiming to optimise deployment of disparate detection methods enabling rapid uptake by stakeholders to ensure early warning and rapid response to reduce establishment, spread and ultimately impacts.
Figure left. OneSTOP is designed around four pillars (detection, prioritisation, dissemination, socio-political action) and built on an integrated governance approach
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