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Joint Statement on Managing Invasive Alien Species in Freshwaters
(Issued by Freshwater Life, International Rivers, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Invasive Species Specialist Group, the Office Français de la Biodiversité, SHOAL, and TARSIUS).
Abu Dhabi, October 2025
At the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, representatives from six leading organisations – Freshwater Life, International Rivers, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB), SHOAL, and TARSIUS – convened for a session titled “Achieving conservation and socio-economic benefits from managing Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in freshwater ecosystems.”
The session brought together experts and practitioners from around the world to share their experiences addressing one of the fastest-growing threats to freshwater biodiversity. Speakers Muhammad Iqram (TARSIUS), Gregg Howald (Freshwater Life), Victoria Lichtschein (IUCN Argentine Committee), Joshua Klemm (International Rivers), and Guillaume Gigot (OFB), with an introduction from Piero Genovesi (ISSG and ISPRA) and moderation by Kevin Smith and Ana Nunes from the IUCN Secretariat, presented case studies and lessons learned from Invasive Alien Species (IAS) prevention and management efforts.
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened on the planet, and IAS are a key driver of biodiversity loss, contributing to 55% of all freshwater species extinctions. The IUCN’s recent report “IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4” highlights how IAS continue to largely imperil natural World Heritage Sites. The recent IPBES thematic assessment report on IAS and their control also showed their impacts on freshwater’s contributions to people, in particular to fisheries and water quality.
In light of these challenges, our organisations commit to strengthening cooperation and applying science-based, locally-grounded solutions that protect and restore freshwater ecosystems impacted by IAS, and the communities that care for and depend on them. We recognise that effective responses require integrated management, long-term monitoring, and active participation of the communities who depend on these waters for their livelihoods and cultural identity. Through our individual and collective efforts, we aim to directly support the implementation of Target 6 on IAS of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and contribute to achieving the ambitions of the global Freshwater Challenge, restoring 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030.
Our Joint Commitments
- Prevention First:
Preventing the introduction of IAS is the most effective and cost-efficient form of management. We commit to advocating for stronger biosecurity measures, risk assessments, and public awareness initiatives to stop IAS before they enter freshwater systems. - Restoration Where Possible:
In systems already affected by IAS, effective and science-based management can yield major social-ecological benefits. This was shown at the IUCN Congress event by evidence from two Whitley Award winning successful interventions. In Argentina, the Fundación Somuncura and Freshwater Life completely removed invasive fish from a section of the Valcheta Stream, increasing the populations of the Critically Endangered Naked Characin, El Rincon Stream Frog, and two species of snail by 15% and growing. This demonstrates that targeted removal and ecosystem restoration are achievable in freshwater systems when carefully designed and supported. In Cameroon, the African Marine Conservation organisation (AMCO) has restored lake Ossa from the invasive Salvinia molesta using biological control by a natural predator, the Salvinia Weevil that feeds specifically on the salvinia plant.The drastic reduction of salvinia in the lake led to the restoration of the fishing activities and the return of the manatee population. - Community-Led Action:
Sustainable impact depends on local leadership. Our organisations jointly commit to ensuring Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are at the forefront of IAS prevention, management, and restoration projects, from design to delivery, ensuring that conservation success aligns with community wellbeing, traditional knowledge, and long-term stewardship.
Quotes from Participants
- Piero Genovesi, IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group: “The new IUCN programme commits IUCN as a Union to scale up its work on Invasive Alien Species, and the Invasive Species Specialist Group that I chair is ready to provide scientific support for this aim. The presentations and discussions held at the IUCN Congress demonstrate how action in freshwater systems is essential but also feasible.”
- Graden Froese, Freshwater Life: “Too often, freshwater invasive species can feel like an overwhelming problem. But invasive species can be dealt with, and even permanently removed, from many rivers and lakes. The results, for people and nature, are spectacular. This gathering, the first of its kind at the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, reminded and energised us around the importance of action.”
- Victoria Lichtschein, IUCN Argentine Committee: “For me the session at the World Conservation Congress was very significant and provided hope that the problem can be dealt with successfully.”
- Guillaume Gigot, OFB: “This session was an excellent demonstration of a collective and reasoned approach, where everyone is heard and each situation is considered carefully. This is typical of IUCN’s expertise, which is essential for addressing the challenges of IAS in freshwater environments: consolidating networks and building shared strategies to influence public policy.”
- Michael Edmondstone, SHOAL: “Invasive Alien Species are accelerating the decline of already vulnerable freshwater species and ecosystems, yet this session showed that when local leadership and global expertise come together, real recovery is possible. At SHOAL, we’re committed to working alongside our partners to scale the prevention and restoration efforts needed to protect rivers and wetlands, and the communities that depend on them.”
- Arely Ramírez García, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, México: “The reintroduction of fish species once lost from the wild, such as Zoogoneticus tequila and Skiffia francesae, demonstrates that ecological restoration is achievable when scientific resolve, community engagement, and collective action come together.”
- Tania Romero Bautista, Florida International University (FIU), Tropical Rivers Lab: “I was delighted to participate in this session at IUCN and to learn about community-led projects on how freshwater ecosystems and different species can be sustained through citizen science as well as integrative conservation and policy mechanisms in local and within transboundary areas. As I reflect on my work in freshwater ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon, this was an opportunity to reimagine new possibilities for such efforts in the Amazon basin.”
For further information, please contact:
Guillaume Gigot (OFB), guillaume.gigot@ofb.gouv.fr
Graden Froese (Freshwater Life), froese@fwlife.org
Michael Edmondstone (SHOAL), m.edmondstone@shoal.org
Piero Genovesi (ISSG and ISPRA), piero.genovesi@isprambiente.it
Victoria Lichtschein (IUCN Argentine Committee), victoria.lich@gmail.com
Muhammad Iqram (TARSIUS), iqrambio2011@gmail.com
Joshua Klemm (International Rivers), jklemm@internationalrivers.org
Arely Ramírez García (UMSNH), arelyr@umich.mx
Andrew Cox (4nature), andrew@4nature.org
Tania Romero Bautista (Florida International University, Tropical Rivers Lab), trome013@fiu.edu
Aristide Takoukam Kamla (AMCO), akamla@ammco.org
Pubudini Anuradhi (Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology), pubu.anu@gmail.com
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