Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Sint Eustatius, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Adolphe Debrot1, Hannah Madden2, John de Freitas3, Lian Jenna Wong4, Shyama Pagad5, Shyama Pagad6

1 Wageningen Marine Research, , Netherlands; 2 Ecological Professionals Foundation, , Bonaire, Sint Eustatius And Saba; 3 Carmabi Foundation, , Bonaire, Sint Eustatius And Saba; 4 Biodiversity Data Management Ltd., , New Zealand; 5 IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), , New Zealand; 6 

Corresponding author(s): Adolphe Debrot (dolfi.debrot@wur.nl)Hannah Madden (hannah.madden.ecopro@gmail.com)John de Freitas (j.defreitas@carmabi.org)Lian Jenna Wong (eleusia@gmail.com)Shyama Pagad (s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz)

Received {date}; Revised {date}; Accepted {date}; Published {date}

Citation: Combination of authors, year of data paper publication (in parentheses), Title, Journal Name, Volume, Issue number (in parentheses), and doi of the data paper.

Resource Citation

Debrot A, Madden H, de Freitas J, Wong L J, Pagad S (2024). Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Sint Eustatius, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Version 1.16. Invasive Species Specialist Group ISSG. Checklist dataset. https://cloud.gbif.org/griis/resource?r=sint-eustatius_griis&v=1.16

Abstract

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) presents validated and verified checklists of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species at the country level. Phase 1 of the project has focused on developing validated and verified checklists of countries that are Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Phase 2 will include countries that are not parties to the CBD and the European Overseas territories. This annotated checklist is of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species known to occur in Sint Eustatius, a municipality of the Netherlands in the Caribbean region.

Keywords: Checklist, Inventorythematic, Alien, Invasive, Validated and verified, country_BQ-SE, Checklist

General description

Purpose: The resource will be a support to countries to make progress to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 -in the development of their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, their National Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan, target setting and monitoring.
Additional information: Versioning
The GRIIS checklists are dynamic and reflect the latest known status of alien and invasive species presence and impacts. 

The original versions of each country checklist (v1.0) undergo two potential types of updates: 
1. Major updates: These happen when batches of new species or records become available, usually addressing multiple taxonomic groups simultaneously.  Each checklist is assigned a new version number after a major update (e.g. from v1.0 to v2.0). 
2. Incremental updates: These are smaller ongoing updates involving the addition of new species or records based on new publications as well as taxonomic or other updates. Incremental updates to a checklist are associated with a subversion number, e.g. v1.1.
The checklist version number is visible/available on the citation.

Project details

Project title: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species GRIIS
Personnel: Shyama Pagad
Funding: GRIIS, hosted by Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Rome, Italy, has been developed with co-funding from the European Union through the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity within the framework of the Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership (GIASIPartnership).
Study area descriptions/descriptor: GRIIS has global coverage, including the European Overseas Territories and Regions. Where appropriate, Sub-lists have been created for Oceanic Islands- for e.g. Soqotra of Yemen and the Juan Fernandez Islands of Chile. 

Taxonomic coverage includes all Kingdoms Animalia, Bacteria, Chromista, Fungi, Plantae, Protozoa, Viruses.
Design description: The Global Register of Invasive Species (GRIS) was developed as a concept and prototype by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) in 2006 as part of a project undertaken for the Defenders of Wildlife on the Regulation of Live Animal Imports into the United States. 

The concept was revisited and expanded by the ISSG to address Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 and support its achievement- with the development of the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS). GRIIS hosted by the ISSG compiles annotated and verified country-wise checklists of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species. Development and population of the GRIIS was undertaken by the ISSG within the framework of activities of the Information Synthesis and Assessment Working Group of the Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership (GIASIP).

A summary of the process
•	The compiler team will conduct a comprehensive lit review of authoritative and credible source information and develop a draft annotated country checklist  of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species. 
•	Annotations include species name (accepted name and synonym if used by the source), higher taxonomy, environmental/system in which the species occurs, biological status (provenance and invasiveness-based on evidence of impact), 
•	Country editor/editors are identified and consulted with for advice including knowledge of any key resources 
•	Draft checklists are submitted to country editors for a review for both accuracy of information and for any significant gaps. Revisions are implemented based on feedback. 
•	Every species record includes a check (indication) if the status has been verified as feedback is received. In cases where ‘evidence of impact’ information is gathered from peer-reviewed literature or reports; the species status will be considered 'verified' 
•	Names of the editors as well as the complete reference list of sources consulted is recorded. 
•	Updates will be implemented six-monthly including change in status of species or any new records 
Notes on the annotations
•	Species names recorded from source information are referred to the GBIF taxonomic editor; if the source species name is a synonym, the accepted name is also recorded. This will help us to apply a consistent taxonomy across all inventories 
•	Higher taxonomy- Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus and Species with species authority. 
•	Environment system- terrestrial/ freshwater / brackish / marine/ host and combinations 
•	Provenance- a) as recorded by the source information b) as interpreted by the compiler - three options applied are alien, native/alien (if the species is native in a part of a country and alien in another part), provenance uncertain/cryptogenic 
•	Invasiveness based on evidence of impact

Data published through GBIF: https://cloud.gbif.org/griis/resource?r=sint-eustatius_griis

Taxonomic coverage

Taxonomic ranks
Kingdom: Animalia, Bacteria, Chromista, Fungi, Plantae, Protozoa, Viruses

Spatial coverage

General spatial coverage: The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) presents validated and verified checklists (inventories) of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species at the country level. Phase 1 of the project has focused on developing validated and verified checklists (inventories) of countries that are Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Phase 2 will include countries that are not parties to the CBD and the European Overseas territories. This annotated checklist (inventory) is of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species known to occur in Sint Eustatius, a municipality of the Netherlands in the Caribbean region.
Coordinates: 0°0'0''N and 36°35'52.8''N Latitude; 102°39'21.6''W and 49°13'8.4''W Longitude 

Methods

Method step description: 
- . 	Data collation and categorization
Data filtering and categorization/ classification 
Taxonomic harmonization and normalization
Data validation
Data verification
- . 	The published methods underpinning GRIIS and each checklist are described in the following article:
Pagad S, Genovesi P, Carnevali L, Schigel D, McGeoch MA (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data, 5, 170202.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017202
Study extent description: The geographic focus of this checklist is the island of Sint Eustatius, Netherlands
Sampling description: This annotated checklist is focused on introduced (alien) and invasive species that are known to occur in Sint Eustatius. 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, (IUCN) describes an Introduced/ Alien and Invasive alien species as follows:  

An Introduced/ Alien species means a species, subspecies, or lower taxon occurring outside of its natural range (past or present) and dispersal potential (i.e. outside the range it occupies naturally or could not occupy without direct or indirect introduction or care by humans) and includes any part, gametes or propagule of such species that might survive and subsequently reproduce. 

An Invasive alien species means an alien species which becomes established in natural or semi-natural ecosystems or habitat, is an agent of change, and threatens native biological diversity.

In GRIIS, species are recorded as having an impact (as 'yes' under 'isInvasive') if there is evidence of the species negatively impacting biodiversity, and including species that are widespread, spreading rapidly or present in high abundance (Pagad et al. 2018). This usage is relevant to the purpose of GRIIS, and consistent with the concept of impact as formulated by Parker et al. (1999) and now widely used (e.g. Didham et al. 2005, Strayer et al. 2006, McGeoch et al. 2010, 2012, Vila et al. 2011), where impact is a function not only of the per capita effect of an individual organism, but is a combined function of the effect, abundance and range size of a species. Impact can of course be defined in different ways, driven by different objectives, such as its usage in EICAT where it is defined as a measurable change to the properties of an ecosystem caused by an alien taxon (Hawkins et al. 2015). 

Pagad S, Genovesi P, Carnevali L, Schigel D, McGeoch MA (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data, 5, 170202.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017202

Parker I, Simberloff D, Lonsdale W. et al. (1999) Impact: Toward a Framework for Understanding the Ecological Effects of Invaders. Biological Invasions 1, 3–19 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010034312781

Didham RK, Tylianakis JM, Hutchison MA, Ewers RM, Gemmell NJ. (2005) Are invasive species the drivers of ecological change? Trends Ecol Evol. 2005 Sep;20(9):470-4. Epub 2005 Jul 21.

Strayer DL, Eviner VT, Jeschke JM, Pace ML. (2006) Understanding the long-term effects of species invasions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 21(11):645-51

McGeoch MA, Butchart SHM, Spear D, Marais E. Kleynhans EJ, Symes A, Chanson J, Hoffmann M. (2010) Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses. Diversity and Distributions Volume16, Issue1 January 2010
McGeoch, M.A., Spear, D., Kleynhans, E.J. & Marais, E. 2012. Uncertainty in invasive alien species listing. Ecological Applications 22, 959-971. 10.1890/11-1252.1

Vilà M, Espinar JL, Hejda M, Hulme PE, Jarošík V, Maron JL, Pergl J, Schaffner U, Sun Y, Pyšek P. (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta‐analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecology Letters Volume14, Issue7 July 2011 Pages 702-708

Hawkins CL, Bacher S, Essl F, Hulme PE, Jeschke JM, Kühn I, Kumschick S, Nentwig W, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Richardson DM, Vilà  M, Wilson JRU, Genovesi P, Blackburn TM. (2015) Framework and guidelines for implementing the proposed IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) Diversity and Distributions Volume21, Issue11 November 2015 Pages 1360-1363
Quality control description: The draft checklist is compiled by collating data and information through a comprehensive literature overview. Additional steps implemented to control the quality of the data are described below.

Taxonomic harmonization and normalization using the GBIF taxonomic backbone
In order to harmonize all species names across countries, species lists are subjected to a normalization process in which taxon rank and taxonomic status are identified and assigned. Spelling and other errors in assigning species authorship are also corrected.

Data validation
The checklist compiler team completes a review and validates all the annotations especially those on provenance and 'invasiveness' status of the species based on evidence of impact.

Data verification
The checklist is submitted to a network of country editors for a review of both accuracy of records, annotations and identification of any significant gaps in the data. Data verification is an iterative process and the activity is declared completed on agreement of all relevant country editors.

One of the key tenets of the GRIIS project has been engagement with country editors in the verification process and as custodians of their country checklists. While this has been possible in the majority of countries, the compilers have not been very successful in this engagement for a small number of countries. In these cases, the GRIIS compiler team has completed the validation of the species records while working on identifying country experts.

Datasets

Dataset description
Object name: Darwin Core Archive Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Sint Eustatius, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Character encoding: UTF-8
Format name: Darwin Core Archive format
Format version: 1.0
Distribution: https://cloud.gbif.org/griis/archive.do?r=sint-eustatius_griis
Publication date of data: 2024-04-10
Language: English
Licences of use: Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License

Metadata language: English
Date of metadata creation: 2018-03-27
Hierarchy level: Dataset