Reduce the Introduction and Impact of Invasive Alien Species
Eliminate, minimize, reduce and or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50 per cent by 2030, and eradicating or controlling invasive alien species, especially in priority sites, such as islands.
Uninvited Guests
Wherever you look, there is life. Whole communities of species have developed everywhere; they have learned to flourish in the local circumstances. These ecosystems, both large and small, are beneficial to all the inhabitants. It’s a balance that has been established over thousands or millions of years. If a species migrates from one system to another, it upsets the delicate balance. Migrant species can totally destroy ecosystems — like letting a fox into a chicken coup. When it happens, it takes an extremely long time for the ecosystem to stabilize. If ever.
This is a very challenging target. Species migrate for many reasons, and not all of them are easy to control. Here are just a few:
• Accidentally: Global trade has opened the door to unintentional stowaways — species hiding in shipping containers, wooden crates, and plants. When they arrive in unfamiliar ecosystems, they often become predators or competitors, upsetting delicate balances and causing native species to collapse.
• Commercially: Non-native plants and animals are introduced on purpose — for agriculture, ornamentals, or the pet trade. It often ends in unintended spread. Many of these species escape control and become dominant, displacing local biodiversity.
• Stupidly: Yes, we’ve done this to ourselves. Humans have introduced species to solve problems—like bringing cats to islands for pest control. In many places, this has driven native birds, reptiles, and small mammals to extinction. Or we’ve introduced fish into lakes and rivers for sport, only to watch ecosystems unravel.
• And of course, because of climate change: As temperatures rise, species are forced out of the places they belong. They search for new habitats — and sometimes settle in environments not ready for them. The result? More ecological instability.
Target 6 calls on us to cut the rate of new invasions in half by 2030, and to eradicate or control those that are already taking hold—especially in high-risk areas like islands, where biodiversity is both rich and vulnerable.