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Background: Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes. The database presented in the current study is the first consolidated checklist of alien plant species that are present in Romania, both of European Union concern and of national interest. This database complements a prior published distribution, based only on records from literature, bringing new information regarding the occurrence of alien plants in Romania, as revealed by a nationwide field survey. We consider this database a valuable instrument for managing biological invasions at both national and regional levels, as it can be utilised in further research studies and in drafting management and action plans, assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions and implementing management actions. New information: We present the results of the first nationwide survey of alien plant species in Romania, conducted between 2019 and 2022, in the framework of a national project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and the University of Bucharest. The present database complements and updates the database published by Sirbu et. al (2022), which included occurrence records published until 2019. The new database includes 98323 occurrence records for 396 alien plant species in 77 families, with most species belonging to the Asteraceae family. One alien plant species in our database, the black locust Robinia pseudoacacia L., had more than 10,000 occurrence records. The distribution database also includes information on newly-reported invasive alien plant species of European Union concern in Romania (i.e. the floating primrose-willow Ludwigia peploides (Kunth) P.H.Raven) and documents the presence of plants in 44 additional families compared to Sirbu et al. (2022). Each entry includes information on species taxonomy, location, year, person who recorded and identified the alien plant, geographical coordinates and taxon rank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of modern human-induced species losses. Research on the distribution of alien species and their pathways of introduction is essential for understanding and tackling the invasion process. A comprehensive overview on invasive alien plant (IAP) species in Romania is lacking. With this paper, we aim to contribute to filling this gap and to provide a visualization of national patterns regarding plant species invasions, geographical origins and pathways of introductions. Based on plant species occurrence records in the published literature and herbaria we compiled a national database of 102 invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species. We georeferenced 42776 IAP species occurrences and performed an analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analyses revealed a biased sampling, with clear hotspots of increased sampling efforts around urban areas. We used chord diagrams to visualize the pathway of introduction and geographical origins of the IAP species, which revealed that species in Romania originate mainly in North and Central America, while the dominant pathway of plant introduction was horticulture. Our results provide an important baseline in drafting management and action plans, as invasive alien plant species represent a priority for the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a good starting point for various analyses as the database is further developed and regularly updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romanian Carpathians are considered a biodiversity hotspot in Europe, with large forested areas, including old-growth forests. Past forestry practices, such as selective logging resulting in forest high grading and removal of ancient or decaying trees, reduced the heterogeneity of forest structure and composition. These practices led to forest habitats with few veteran trees and a small amount of deadwood, which protected saproxylic beetles rely on for completing their complex life cycles. Moreover, saproxylic species are considered pest species under traditional forestry practices, as they reduce the value of timber. As such, Romanian forestry practices have actively sought to reduce the amount of deadwood in an effort to decrease the presence of saproxylic species, thus effectively isolating stands with a high diversity of saproxylic beetles. The European Commission will finance the project LIFE19 NAT/RO/000023 Conservation of saproxylic beetles in the Carpathians LIFE ROsalia. The project aims to stop and reverse the loss of protected saproxylic beetles (Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina, the hermit beetle Osmoderma eremita, great capricorn beetle Cerambyx cerdo, grey beetle Morimus funereus, and stag beetle Lucanus cervus) in the Carpathians by demonstrating conservation actions for increasing the connectivity of favorable habitats in the ROSCI0208 Putna-Vrancea (Eastern Carpathians, Romania), and transferring and replicating best management practices in other Romanian Natura 2000 sites. LIFE ROsalia will be implemented between 2020 and 2025 by the Environmental Protection Agency Vrancea, the Center for Environmental Research at the University of Bucharest, the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park Administration, and the Association for Biodiversity Conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]