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Invasive non-native species (INS) are species which have moved outside of their natural range, usually with the aid of humans, and are causing environmental or economic damage. At a global level, INS are believed to be one of the most significant causes behind loss of biodiversity – second only to habitat destruction. Their economic impact is also substantial. A recent study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) estimated that INS cost Europe in the region of 12 billion Euros every year. Despite the severe damage these species are causing, there is little in the way of a coordinated effort to reduce their impact and spread across Europe.Over recent years a number of projects have sought to improve the management of INS across the Two Seas region, by bringing together research institutes, universities, local government, land managers, businesses and other relevant stakeholders to form cross-border partnerships. RINSE (Reducing the Impact of Non-native Species In Europe) focussed primarily on INS withinfreshwater and terrestrial habitats. It undertook a broad range of activities in order to share best practice across the region, develop new ways to manage INS, improve the capacity of local organisations to manage INS, prioritise INS already present in the region for action and identify species likely to cause problems in the near future. The MEMO (Mnemiopsis Ecology, Modellingand Observation) partnership was composed of experts in marine INS and focussed on one species in particular – the American comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi. This invasive jellyfish-like species was accidentally introduced to the Two Seas region and has since spread along the coasts of northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. MEMO undertook a range of activitiesto assess awareness and perceptions of the jelly amongst key stakeholder groups and to increase our scientific knowledge on this species. Invexo aimed to improve the management of four of the most damaging INS in Belgium and the Netherlands. The project used field trials to improve control and eradication methods and developed an early warning system for high risk INSin the project area. Discussions between partners from the RINSE, MEMO and Invexo projects indicated that added value could be created through the formation of a ‘cluster’ project, bringing together the expertise and theexperiences gained from each of the three projects. As a consequence, SEFINS (Safeguarding the Environment From Invasive Non-native Species) was established in January 2014. Since then, the partnership has held a number of constructive workshops and meetings on the topic of INS. It was clear that despite each project working on different species in different habitats, therewas a large degree of crossover. A number of key themes emerged, which the partnership agreed require further work in order to allow EU Member States to meet the new requirements of the upcoming European Regulation on Invasive Species:1) Knowledge transfer, training and advice2) Data and inventories3) Risk management and impact assessments4) Citizen science and awareness raisingThis publication uses these key themes as chapters, describing in more detail the activities carried out by RINSE, MEMO and Invexo within these areas. Key outputs are summarised, outlining the significant progress made by the SEFINS partners and their previous projects towards the effective management of INS across the Two Seas area. However, there is clearly much work still to be done – this publication will also look forwards, outlining where we believe work on INS should focus in the immediate future.

Invasive non-native species (INS) are species which have moved outside of their natural range, usually with the aid of humans, and are causing environmental or economic damage. At a global level, INS are believed to be one of the most significant causes behind loss of biodiversity – second only to habitat destruction. Their economic impact is also substantial. A recent study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) estimated that INS cost Europe in the region of 12 billion Euros every year. Despite the severe damage these species are causing, there is little in the way of a coordinated effort to reduce their impact and spread across Europe.Over recent years a number of projects have sought to improve the management of INS across the Two Seas region, by bringing together research institutes, universities, local government, land managers, businesses and other relevant stakeholders to form cross-border partnerships. RINSE (Reducing the Impact of Non-native Species In Europe) focussed primarily on INS withinfreshwater and terrestrial habitats. It undertook a broad range of activities in order to share best practice across the region, develop new ways to manage INS, improve the capacity of local organisations to manage INS, prioritise INS already present in the region for action and identify species likely to cause problems in the near future. The MEMO (Mnemiopsis Ecology, Modellingand Observation) partnership was composed of experts in marine INS and focussed on one species in particular – the American comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi. This invasive jellyfish-like species was accidentally introduced to the Two Seas region and has since spread along the coasts of northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. MEMO undertook a range of activitiesto assess awareness and perceptions of the jelly amongst key stakeholder groups and to increase our scientific knowledge on this species. Invexo aimed to improve the management of four of the most damaging INS in Belgium and the Netherlands. The project used field trials to improve control and eradication methods and developed an early warning system for high risk INSin the project area. Discussions between partners from the RINSE, MEMO and Invexo projects indicated that added value could be created through the formation of a ‘cluster’ project, bringing together the expertise and theexperiences gained from each of the three projects. As a consequence, SEFINS (Safeguarding the Environment From Invasive Non-native Species) was established in January 2014. Since then, the partnership has held a number of constructive workshops and meetings on the topic of INS. It was clear that despite each project working on different species in different habitats, therewas a large degree of crossover. A number of key themes emerged, which the partnership agreed require further work in order to allow EU Member States to meet the new requirements of the upcoming European Regulation on Invasive Species:1) Knowledge transfer, training and advice2) Data and inventories3) Risk management and impact assessments4) Citizen science and awareness raisingThis publication uses these key themes as chapters, describing in more detail the activities carried out by RINSE, MEMO and Invexo within these areas. Key outputs are summarised, outlining the significant progress made by the SEFINS partners and their previous projects towards the effective management of INS across the Two Seas area. However, there is clearly much work still to be done – this publication will also look forwards, outlining where we believe work on INS should focus in the immediate future.

An increasing number of regulatory tools aiming to impose preventive and control actions against invasive species are currently being developed in Europe. Both species prioritization and the choice of best preventive and potential control actions to reduce the risk require robust and transparent risk assessment. Two different generic tools, available from http://ias.biodiversity.be, have recently been developed in Belgium to help decision makers reaching these goals, i.e. a quick screening prioritization process (Harmonia+) and a detailed risk assessment scheme. Both tools may be applied to any non-native organism irrespective its taxonomic affiliation and encompass an evaluation of the probability of organism entry, establishment, spread, and of the potential and magnitude of environmental, economic and social consequences including plant, animal and human health. Harmonia+ is a quick screening tool that may be used for different purposes (D’hondt et al. 2014): (i) the elaboration of priority lists of invasive species that are established or could potentially establish in an area, (ii) the fulfillment of rapid assessment to help conservation managers to prioritize actions when a new non-native organism is found in the wild and (iii) the identification of non-native species with the highest priority for in-depth and time consuming risk analyses and (iv) the scoring of probability and magnitude of the different elements included in those risk analyses.The detailed scheme for invasive species risk analysis is based on the recommendations of the international standards for pest risk analysis for organisms of quarantine concern produced by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention. It follows a process defined by two main stages, i.e. the risk assessment stage itself and the risk management stage, which involves identifying options for reducing the identified risks. This detailed analysis is especially valuable to know whether trade restrictions could be considered as adequate and efficient to reduce the risk.The output of the risk assessments based on these new tools will be presented and discussed for five emerging non-native species in Belgium (water primrose, red swamp crayfish, American bullfrog, sacred ibis and raccoon dog). Different recommendations and priorities for decision making will be provided for the different species based on the outcome of these analyses. Potential uses for the selection of species of EU concern in the framework of the new EC proposal of Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of IAS in Europe will also be discussed.

An increasing number of regulatory tools aiming to impose preventive and control actions against invasive species are currently being developed in Europe. Both species prioritization and the choice of best preventive and potential control actions to reduce the risk require robust and transparent riskassessment. Two different generic tools, available from http://ias.biodiversity.be, have recently been developed in Belgium to help decision makers reaching these goals, i.e. a quick screening prioritization process (Harmonia+) and a detailed risk assessment scheme. Both tools may be applied to any non-native organism irrespective its taxonomic affiliation and encompass an evaluation of the probability of organism entry, establishment, spread, and of the potential and magnitude of environmental, economic and social consequences including plant, animal and human health. Harmonia+ is a quick screening tool that may be used for different purposes (D’hondt et al. 2014): (i) the elaboration of priority lists of invasive species that are established or could potentially establish in an area, (ii) the fulfillment of rapid assessment to help conservation managers to prioritize actions when a new non-native organism is found in the wild and (iii) the identification of non-native specieswith the highest priority for in-depth and time consuming risk analyses and (iv) the scoring of probability and magnitude of the different elements included in those risk analyses. The detailed scheme for invasive species risk analysis is based on the recommendations of the international standards for pest risk analysis for organisms of quarantine concern produced by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention. It follows a process defined by two main stages, i.e. the risk assessment stage itself and the risk management stage, which involves identifying options for reducing the identified risks. This detailed analysis is especially valuable to know whether trade restrictions could be considered as adequate and efficient to reduce the risk. The output of the risk assessments based on these new tools will be presented and discussed for five emerging non-native species in Belgium (water primrose, red swamp crayfish, American bullfrog, sacred ibis and raccoon dog). Different recommendations and priorities for decision making will be provided for the different species based on the outcome of these analyses. Potential uses for the selection of species of EU concern in the framework of the new EC proposal ofRegulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of IAS in Europe will also be discussed. An increasing number of regulatory tools aiming to impose preventive and control actions against invasive species are currently being developed in Europe. Both species prioritization and the choice of best preventive and potential control actions to reduce the risk require robust and transparent riskassessment. Two different generic tools, available from http://ias.biodiversity.be, have recently been developed in Belgium to help decision makers reaching these goals, i.e. a quick screening prioritization process (Harmonia+) and a detailed risk assessment scheme. Both tools may be applied to any non-native organism irrespective its taxonomic affiliation and encompass an evaluation of the probability of organism entry, establishment, spread, and of the potential and magnitude of environmental, economic and social consequences including plant, animal and human health.Harmonia+ is a quick screening tool that may be used for different purposes (D’hondt et al. 2014): (i) the elaboration of priority lists of invasive species that are established or could potentially establish in an area, (ii) the fulfillment of rapid assessment to help conservation managers to prioritize actionswhen a new non-native organism is found in the wild and (iii) the identification of non-native species with the highest priority for in-depth and time consuming risk analyses and (iv) the scoring of probability and magnitude of the different elements included in those risk analyses.The detailed scheme for invasive species risk analysis is based on the recommendations of the international standards for pest risk analysis for organisms of quarantine concern produced by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention. It follows a process defined by two main stages, i.e. the risk assessment stage itself and the risk management stage, which involves identifying options for reducing the identified risks. This detailed analysis is especially valuable to know whether trade restrictions could be considered as adequate and efficient to reduce the risk.The output of the risk assessments based on these new tools will be presented and discussed for five emerging non-native species in Belgium (water primrose, red swamp crayfish, American bullfrog, sacred ibis and raccoon dog). Different recommendations and priorities for decision making will be provided for the different species based on the outcome of these analyses.Potential uses for the selection of species of EU concern in the framework of the new EC proposal of Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of IAS in Europe will also be discussed.

Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an annual plant species that is native to East Asia. It was introduced in Europe as a garden ornamental, but appears to have easily escaped cultivation. Though the first records for Belgium date back as early as the 19th century, it is only since the mid-20th century that the species started to become widely established.We here report on the occurrence of Himalayan balsam along the Scheldt estuary, based on time series of vegetation mapping and relevé data of permanent plots from the past two decades. During this period, the species has become ever more ubiquitous, though only in the freshwater zone. Here, it now occurs in 90% of the permanent plots, dominating the herb layer of willow shrubs and woodlands. It also colonises reed beds which deteriorate within a few years after invasion. Only Urtica dioica seems able to compete. Nevertheless, within the permanent plots there is an apparent fluctuation through time in the cover of Himalayan balsam.Accordingly, the associated Natura 2000 habitats are assessed to be in a bad ecological status, which calls for a better comprehension of the species’ niche in view of management options.We will showcase how the distribution of Himalayan balsam along the Scheldt links with abiotic conditions including salinity and inundation regime and try to find out what causes the observed fluctuation in the species’ cover. Also, we will have a look at the species’ distribution within the freshwater tidal habitats along the Meuse (in casu the Biesbosch) where similar dynamics have been observed. Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an annual plant species that is native to East Asia. It was introduced in Europe as a garden ornamental, but appears to have easily escaped cultivation. Though the first records for Belgium date back as early as the 19th century, it is only since the mid-20th century that the species started to become widely established.We here report on the occurrence of Himalayan balsam along the lower Scheldt, based on time series of vegetation mapping and relevé data of permanent plots from the past two decades. During this period, the species has become ever more ubiquitous, though only in the freshwater zone. It now is the single most recorded species, occurring in about 90% of the permanent plots (figure 1). Himalayan balsam is found most abundantly in roughened vegetation characteristic for later-successional stages that formed through sediment accretion and related hydrological change (figure 2).When testing for the importance of hydrological variables (by means of fuzzy ordination), the vegetation composition of plots appeared to be best explained by the frequency of inundation. However, the data suggested that Himalayan balsam in particular performs best in soils that drain relatively rapidly following inundation. This corroborates the observation that Himalayan balsam is relatively under-represented in newly established inundation areas that have a controlled reduced tide, and thus less extreme drainage conditions (cf. Sigma plan). Such restoration projects may thus prove particularly successful in breaking the species’ local dominance.