People and Nature (Aug 2024)

Stakeholders' views on the global guidelines for the sustainable use of non‐native trees

  • Ana Novoa,
  • Giovanni Vimercati,
  • Giuseppe Brundu,
  • David M. Richardson,
  • Urs Schaffner,
  • Antonio Brunori,
  • Thomas Campagnaro,
  • Susan Canavan,
  • Laura Celesti‐Grapow,
  • Michele Dechoum,
  • Katharina Dehnen‐Schmutz,
  • Jean‐Marc Dufour‐Dror,
  • Franz Essl,
  • S. Luke Flory,
  • Heinke Jäger,
  • Jasmin Joshi,
  • Marion Karmann,
  • Barbara Langdon,
  • Katharina Lapin,
  • Johannes Le Roux,
  • Vanessa Lozano,
  • Mauro Masiero,
  • Laura A. Meyerson,
  • Martin A. Nuñez,
  • Aníbal Pauchard,
  • Jan Pergl,
  • Annabel J. Porté,
  • Petr Pyšek,
  • Jana Pyšková,
  • Jonatan Rodriguez,
  • Ross T. Shackleton,
  • Joaquim S. Silva,
  • Tommaso Sitzia,
  • Laura Verbrugge,
  • Michaela Vítková,
  • Yitbarek Tibebe Weldesemaet,
  • Marjana Westergren,
  • John R. U. Wilson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10670
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 4
pp. 1640 – 1654

Abstract

Read online

Abstract A large number of non‐native trees (NNTs) have been introduced globally and widely planted, contributing significantly to the world's economy. Although some of these species present a limited risk of spreading beyond their planting sites, a growing number of NNTs are spreading and becoming invasive leading to diverse negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and human well‐being. To help minimize the negative impacts and maximize the economic benefits of NNTs, Brundu et al. developed eight guidelines for the sustainable use of NNTs globally—the Global Guidelines for the Use of NNTs (GG‐NNTs). Here, we used an online survey to assess perceptions of key stakeholders towards NNTs, and explore their knowledge of and compliance with the GG‐NNTs. Our results show that stakeholders are generally aware that NNTs can provide benefits and cause negative impacts, often simultaneously and they consider that their organization complies with existing regulations and voluntary agreements concerning NNTs. However, they are not aware of or do not apply most of the eight recommendations included in the GG‐NNTs. We conclude that effectively managing invasions linked to NNTs requires both more communication efforts using an array of channels for improving stakeholder awareness and implementation of simple measures to reduce NNT impacts (e.g. via GG‐NNTs), and a deeper understanding of the barriers and reluctance of stakeholders to manage NNT invasions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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