Celtic Invasive Plants database

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Biodiversity Research

Background:

• Alien Invasive Species (AIS) present major ecological, social, and economic challenges worldwide.
• Fragmented data across platforms hinders international efforts to harmonize AIS information.
• The Celtic Fringe, a distinct European region, has a well-documented flora crucial for invasion studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create the first unified checklist and georeferenced database of AIS for the entire Celtic Fringe.
• To standardize and integrate fragmented AIS data for improved accessibility and usability.
• To support AIS management, conservation planning, and research on invasion dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Aggregating occurrence data from publicly available datasets.
• Developing a harmonized AIS checklist of 271 taxa by integrating national and international sources.
• Mapping georeferenced occurrences to a 10x10 km UTM grid resolution.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive database containing 164,974 georeferenced AIS occurrences for the Celtic Fringe.
• The database includes taxonomic, floristic, and administrative metadata for diverse applications.
• The unified checklist and database cover 271 AIS taxa within the study region.

Conclusions:

• The developed resource provides a standardized and harmonized dataset for AIS management.
• This initiative facilitates transnational cooperation in addressing invasive species.
• The database will aid in conservation planning and advancing research on invasion ecology.