# An innovative and effective approach to bridge research and invasive species management: The French Invasive Alien Species Resource Center

Camille Bernery, Clara Singh, Alain Dutartre, Arnaud Albert, Yohann Soubeyran

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## To cite this version:

Camille Bernery, Clara Singh, Alain Dutartre, Arnaud Albert, Yohann Soubeyran. An innovative and effective approach to bridge research and invasive species management: The French Invasive Alien Species Resource Center. 13th International Conference on Biological Invasions, Sep 2024, Lisbonne, Portugal. . [hal-04913539](https://hal.science/hal-04913539v1)

HAL Id: hal-04913539

https://hal.science/hal-04913539v1

Submitted on 27 Jan 2025

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

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# An innovative and effective approach to bridge research and invasive species management : The French Invasive Alien Species Resource Center

Camille Bernery<fnref n="1" />, Clara Singh<fnref n="1" />, Alain Dutartre², Arnaud Albert³, Yohann Soubeyran<fnref n="1" />,⁴

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GUADELOUPE
MARTINIQUE

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France faces significant threats from **invasive alien species** (IAS) due to its position as a geographical crossroad, its great diversity of climates and environments, and its overseas islands all over the world. In 2018, a unique system has been established to support all the stakeholders facing IAS : the **IAS National Resource Center**.

The IAS National Resource Center addresses all IAS **in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems** across mainland France and its overseas territories. The Center's activities involve **100 members of an expert network** that include researchers, natural area managers, NGOs, and local authorities.

## 3 objectives

Produce, capitalize and disseminate
knowledge and know-how

Provide technical support and skills
development for IAS stakeholders

Lead a national network
for collective learning

## 3 types of actions

### 1. Production of resources and tools

#### Species information database

* Descriptive sheet, information on management of IAS and links to additional resources

#### Management feedbacks

* Co-written with managers

* Description of the management operations, techniques, results, costs, etc.

#### Scientific and technical publications

* Good practices guides, scientific reports, syntheses, studies, etc.

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Yellow skunk cabbage
(Lysichiton americanus)

Classification

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Originated in the Northwest of North America, from Alaska to California. Introduced in Europe in the early 1900s for ornamental purposes.

Description

* Herbaceous plant that can reach a height of one metre when adult

* Wide, basal leaves, bright green, with thick veins, that grow after flowering

* Tuberous rhizome

* Spike inflorescence, called a spadix, 10 to 15 cm long, growing on a large, yellow bract, called a spathe, typical of the Arum genus. The spadices produce a musky odour to attract insects

* The fruit is in the form of green berries

Ecology and reproduction

* A perennial plant, slow growing, that can live up to 80 years

* Wetlands (peat bogs, swamps), riparian zones. Found generally in soil with a neutral to acid pH

* Flowers at the end of winter, seeds become mature during the summer. The stem of the spadix then sags and bends over to release the seeds at the foot of the plant

* The seeds can survive in the soil for up to nine years

Documentation

* Lebreton A. 2007. Présence du Lysichite jaune ou Faux arum, Lysichiton americanus Hultén & St John (Araceae), en France. Symbioses, nouvelle série, n° 20 : 60-64.

+ 480 species

+ 120 management feedbacks

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Welcome to the website of
INVASIVE
ALIEN SPECIES RESOURCE CENTER

ABOUT
THE RESOURCE CENTER

The Resource Center provides practical support and contributes to strengthening the effectiveness of actions against invasive alien species. It notably ensures the development of methods, tools and information on the identification, control and management of invasive alien species.

especies-exotiques-envahissantes.fr

### 2. Capitalization and dissemination of information

#### A dedicated website

* National, regional and international news

* Species checklists and alerts

* Methodological documents etc.

* 6 newsletters per year with +2000 recipients

* Participation in conferences, meetings etc.

+ 580 news articles

+ 4600 documents available

+ 600 000 visits per year

### 3. Technical support and coordination of stakeholders' networks

* Organization of national meetings and webinars, technical exchange days etc.

* 5 national trainings every 3 years

* Advise and expertise, support for public policies

* Leading of a national network of scientific and technical experts (REST) of over 100 members of all profiles and backgrounds (managers, researchers etc.)

<figure><img src="image_13.png" /><figcaption>From 2021 to 2023,
58 people have been trained</figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="image_14.png" /><figcaption>The REST helps identify needs, disseminate knowledge, develop tools and training, and provides support for the implementation of public policies</figcaption></figure>

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By placing humans at the core to progress collectively, the Resource Center ensures **effective communication** among all **stakeholders**, including managers and researchers, to **promote knowledge sharing** at the national level and build **collective memory** about invasive alien species. Implementing **similar actions in other countries** would enhance global knowledge sharing and capacity building on biological invasions, enabling effective management of these species.

<footnote n="1">¹IUCN French committee, 259-261 rue de Paris, 93100 Montreuil; ² Hydrobiologist, Independant expert, 21 avenue du Médoc, 33 114 Le Barp, France; ³French Biodiversity Agency, Research and Scientific Support Department, France, 8 boulevard Albert Einstein - 44300 NANTES - France; ⁴UMR AMAP (Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD), Montpellier, France</footnote>