Ascertaining the Knowledge of the General Public and Stakeholders in the Forestry Sector to Invasive Alien Species—A Pan-European Study

Flavius Bălăcenoiu (), Anže Japelj, Iris Bernardinelli, Bastien Castagneyrol, György Csóka, Milka Glavendekić, Gernot Hoch, Boris Hrasovec, Silvija Krajter Ostoić, Marton Paulin, David Williams, Johan Witters and Maarten de Groot
Additional contact information
Flavius Bălăcenoiu: National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Drăcea”, Eroilor Avenue 128, 077190 Voluntari, Romania
Anže Japelj: Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Iris Bernardinelli: Plant Health and Research Service—ERSA, Via Sabbatini 5, 33050 Pozzuolo Del Friuli, Italy
Bastien Castagneyrol: BIOGECO, INRAE, University Bordeaux, 33612 Cestas, France
György Csóka: Department of Forest Protection, Forest Research Institute, University of Sopron, 18 Hegyalja Str., 3232 Mátrafüred, Hungary
Milka Glavendekić: University of Belgrade-Faculty of Forestry, Str. Kneza Viseslava 1, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
Gernot Hoch: Department for Forest Protection, BFW—Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131 Vienna, Austria
Boris Hrasovec: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetosimunska cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Silvija Krajter Ostoić: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Marton Paulin: Department of Forest Protection, Forest Research Institute, University of Sopron, 18 Hegyalja Str., 3232 Mátrafüred, Hungary
David Williams: Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham GU10 4LH, UK
Johan Witters: Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 96, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Maarten de Groot: Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: Against the background of the phenomenon of globalisation, which has increasingly intensified in recent decades, invasive alien species (IAS) have led to biological invasions that have resulted in multiple negative effects on economies, human health, and especially on the environment. In order to control invasive alien species, preventive actions are considered the most effective methods. In this context, society can actively participate in the process of early detection and preventing the spread of these organisms, but there is a need to raise public awareness. In order for this process to take place in the most efficient way, it is necessary to initially evaluate the knowledge of the general public to IAS. Through a questionnaire that was circulated in ten European countries and had over two thousand respondents, this study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of some stakeholders in the forestry sector regarding IAS. The results showed that a vast majority of respondents who participated in the study had heard about IAS and provided a correct definition of these organisms. Most of the respondents in this study heard for the first time about IAS from school, the Internet, or journal articles. Data analysis also showed that stakeholders in the forestry sector (foresters, forest owners, and members of environmental NGOs) were more likely than the other respondents to be aware of the impact of IAS. The results of this study offer an insight to researchers and decision makers assessing the differences of opinion regarding invasive alien species, and the necessary steps that could be adopted in the process of raising awareness in society.

Keywords: citizen science; online survey; biosecurity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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