Roadmap to the management of marine invasive alien species in Europe: a prioritization exercise in a Mediterranean country

Until 2014, the management of invasive alien species has been poorly addressed in Europe. Recently, the Regulation 1143/14 on invasive alien species (IAS) was issued by the European Community. A first list of "IAS of Union Concern" was presented in 2016 and subsequently updated in 2017. The species included in that list are subjected to a number of commercial restrictions, and EU member states are required to control or eradicate them. The inclusion of an IAS in this list is based on the results of a risk-assessment procedure. At present, this list contains 49 IAS, none of which marine. Member states can decide either to adopt the EU list as it is, or to integrate it with additional "IAS of national concern". Italy has opted for the second way and is currently developing its own national list, which may eventually include marine IAS. Italy is a major "first hub" for marine introductions in the Mediterranean Sea, with over 200 multicellular marine alien species reported so far. Italy, with its central position in the Mediterranean Sea, shares several species with the Western European countries, carried by ships or with shellfish stocks, as well as a number of Indo-Pacific species with the Eastern Mediterranean countries, entered through the Suez Canal. Therefore, the roadmap that Italy is currently tracing towards the possible inclusion of marine species in the list of IAS to be managed and controlled, is also relevant for other European and Mediterranean countries. This presentation will show how the process has been organized and conducted, and the preliminary outcomes