NEOBIOTA Conference brings World Experts on Invasive Species to Lisbon

The NEOBIOTA 2024 international conference took place between September 4 and 6 at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, bringing together experts from around the world to discuss the latest approaches and findings on invasive alien species. This year's event was organized by MARE, with the support of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and the University of Évora.

Over the three days of the conference, more than 450 experts from 50 different countries debated the latest scientific advances in the field of invasive species: risk assessment, management and control of invasive species, innovative tools for detection and monitoring, routes of introduction and dispersal of species, as well as the environmental and socio-economic impacts of biological invasions and their implications for nature conservation.

“The high attendance at NEOBIOTA2024 demonstrates the enormous urgency of reducing the societal impact of Biological Invasions. A common theme in many presentations was the need to work in an integrated way with different entities, NGOs, economic agents and civil society, to reduce this huge problem, which has socio-economic and environmental impacts. Some researchers have pointed out that biological invasions are one of the main causes of the extinction of native species and cause more economic damage than some natural disasters, such as earthquakes,” MARE researchers Paula Chainho and Filipe Ribeiro told CIÊNCIAS.

In addition to the more than 200 lectures and plenary sessions featuring prestigious researchers Anthony Ricciardi and Gregory Ruiz, several free workshops were also held on September 3, on topics such as LIFE projects, focusing on biological invasions, assessment and management methods, the economic use of invasive species, the formulation of public policies and the involvement of citizen science. In addition, participants had the opportunity to go on technical visits to Sintra, the Sado Estuary (Setúbal) and the Tagus River (Santarém), allowing them to take a closer look at some of the invasive species present in local ecosystems and learn about the projects underway to monitor and control these species.

In this way, NEOBIOTA 2024 is a renowned event on the subject of invasive species, bringing together cutting-edge knowledge and promoting international collaborations to tackle this growing challenge.