Diversity in invasive species management networks

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Management
• Social Science

Background:

• Invasive species management necessitates collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
• Understanding stakeholder attributes is crucial for successful collaboration and conflict minimization.
• A knowledge gap exists regarding the diverse attributes of stakeholders in invasive species management, impacting collaboration success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify stakeholder attributes influencing participation in invasive species management collaborations.
• To analyze the diversity of stakeholders within collaborative projects.
• To provide recommendations for enhancing collaborative invasive species management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a social network approach.
• Conducted a case study on invasive wild pig (Sus scrofa) management in Queensland, Australia.
• Analyzed stakeholder attributes, including organization types and operational scales.

Main Results:

• The overall stakeholder network was diverse.
• Stakeholder networks at the project level showed a lack of diversity in organization types and operational scales.
• Stakeholders tend to collaborate with others of similar organizational types or operational scales.

Conclusions:

• Project-level stakeholder diversity is often limited, potentially hindering invasive species management effectiveness.
• Targeting a broader range of stakeholder organization types and operational scales can enhance collaborative efforts.
• Increased stakeholder diversity is recommended for successful landscape-scale invasive species management.