b3alien: Target 6 indicator

Indicator type

indicator to evaluate policy

Explanation

The CBD Target 6 headline indicator, calculated by applying b3alien, represents the rate of invasive alien species establishment.

Applicability for policy

Target 6 of CBD is to ‘eliminate, minimize, reduce and or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50 per cent, by 2030, eradicating or controlling invasive alien species especially in priority sites, such as islands’.

Limitations

As a headline indicator, it simplifies complex ecological processes into a single metric. It is sensitive to data gaps, uneven taxonomic and geographic coverage, and differences in monitoring effort across regions and over time. Aggregation may mask species-specific invasions or local impact hotspots that are important for management. It should therefore be interpreted alongside disaggregated indicators and expert ecological assessment.

Figure 1: Target 6 indicator based on the GRIIS checklist,including only invasive species that are established, invasive or widespreadInvasive.

Figure 2: Target 6 indicator based on the GRIIS checklist,including only invasive species that are established, invasive or widespreadInvasive or degree of establishment ais unknown.

Figure 3: Target 6 indicator based on the GRIIS checklist,including all stages of establishment.