Managing biological invasions in protected areas: Seeking new strategies to achieve global targets

Abstract

Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate (Pörtner et al. 2021), with negative consequences for ecosystem functions and the services that people derive from natural systems (Isbell et al. 2022). Protected areas are a fundamental component of the response to biodiversity loss (Pulido-Chadid et al. 2023; Langhammer et al. 2024); they are places where expertise and resources can be focused to protect threatened species, conserve landscapes and restore ecosystems (Yang et al. 2021; Mi et al. 2023). Besides the direct benefits to biodiversity, protected areas also serve socio-economic goals by supporting sustainable development, human health and well-being and cultural values (Buckley et al. 2019; Bennett et al. 2021; Lenihan et al. 2021).