Guardias Project

GuardIAS is a new three-year Horizon Europe project starting on January 1, 2025 that brings together a wide range of stakeholders and experts in Invasive Alien Species (IAS) management. Invasive alien species are animals and plants that are introduced accidentally or deliberately into a natural environment where they are not normally found, with serious negative consequences for their new environment. GuardIAS focuses on aquatic IAS, there is a project running parallel that focuses on terrestrial IAS (One Stop). GuardIAS is an EU-wide initiative that aims to work against the threats posed by aquatic IAS through using new techniques to target all stages of IAS ‘invasion’. (For example, using novel methods to detect and prevent their spread, increasing general awareness about threats from IAS spread, and enabling decision makers to prioritise where and when to act). The project's comprehensive approach, encompassing science, technology, and community engagement, positions it as a key player in the EU's efforts to preserve biodiversity and protect ecosystems from the growing threat of invasive species.