Prioritising invasive alien species for monitoring in Flanders: Results of an expert survey

This report presents a survey‐based framework to prepare the development of structured, policy‐relevant monitoring schemes for invasive alien species in Flanders.
Existing efforts consist of a fragmented landscape of initiatives, often project‐based and time‐limited, with varying geographic and taxonomic coverage. Despite their contributions, these initiatives are not methodologically aligned and do not collectively meet the requirements of the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation.
To support the design of future invasive alien species monitoring schemes, an expert survey was conducted. The collected responses were condensed into overall ratings of the feasibility and urgency of structured monitoring schemes for the species under consideration. These survey results then informed a two‐stage prioritisation process. We aimed to identify a limited number of species‐scope combinations with high relevance and priority.
This resulted in a final short‐list of four species (groups) as a proof of concept for monitoring scheme development.