Theme & Conference Topics

Neobiota – From Ecology to Conservation

Biological invasions by alien species (Neobiota) are of growing interest in recent years. This is not only reflected by increasing of scientific research efforts, but also by national and international policy and legislation. Thus on a worldwide scale, invasive alien species (IAS) are considered to be one of the driving forces of biodiversity loss and global change.

In many countries of Europe a long research tradition on the impact of man on habitats and species exist, often strongly associated to changes in species distributions. In connection with the long lasting and intense land use history in Europe this entails a specific perception of (the impact of?) alien species. This was consistently addressed at the last conference of the working group NEOBIOTA enlarging its coverage to the whole of Europe.

History of Neobiota-meetings

  • Biologische Invasionen: Herausforderung zum Handeln? 4.-7.10.2000 in Berlin (D)
  • Biological Invasions: Challenges for Science. 10.-12.10.2002 in Halle (D)
  • 3rd International Conference on Biological Invasions NEOBIOTA - From Ecology to Control. 30.09.-1.10.2004 in Bern (CH)
  • 4th European Conference on Biological Invasions NEOBIOTA - From Ecology to Conservation. 27.-29.09.2006 in Vienna (A)
  • 5th European Conference on Biological Invasions NEOBIOTA 2008 in Pruhonice (CZ)
Fig. 1.: Participants of NEOBIOTA conferences Fig. 1.: Participants of NEOBIOTA conferences

Since the first meeting in the year 2000 in Berlin and the successively held meetings in Halle and Bern, the German Group on Biological Invasions NEOBIOTA has become fully fledged. The number and origin of participants increased (Fig. 1) and at Bern the group defined itself per acclamation as a pan-european platform for discussion and exchange of information related to all aspects of biological invasions.

Conference Topics

I. Conservation of Biodiversity

  • Prevention and Monitoring
  • Control and Eradication Measures
  • Pathways and Vectors
  • Policy and Legislation
  • Awareness Building

 

II. Ecology of Invasive Alien Species

  • Distribution and Abundance
  • Patterns and Processes
  • Impact and Risk Assessment
  • Human and Animal Health Impact

Infobox

Links

Working group NEOBIOTA

Kontakt

naturschutz@umweltbundesamt.at