Invasive alien species (non-indigenous species whose introduction and/or spread threaten biological diversity) have significant negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems throughout the world. Species movements beyond their historic distributions are likely to continue.
These movements are being driven largely by increased volumes of trade and increasingly complex trade routes. In many cases invasion and other forms of global change, such as climate change, interact to increase the likelihood of the establishment and spread of invasive species.
Monitoring species movements and geography is essential to understand and track the consequences of biological invasion.