Invasion science in the developing world: a response to Ricciardi et al.

Abstract

In the publication ‘Invasion Science: A Horizon Scan of Emerging Challenges and Opportunities’, Ricciardi et al. ‘identified emerging scientific, technological, and sociopolitical issues likely to affect how biological invasions are studied and managed over the next two decades’. We agree with many of the points raised by the horizon scan. However, the authors stated that ‘most developing countries have limited capacity to respond to invasions and can act as hubs to spread species into developed regions’. We found this assertion worrisome because the authors make an opinionated statement that may not reflect reality and can have negative implications in attributing the spread of invasive species uniquely to developing countries. We therefore want to present some perspectives of developing countries on invasion science to shed light on the authors’ statement and clarify potential misconceptions.