Stelios Katsanevakis from the University of the Aegean, a GES4SEAS partner, recently delivered a presentation at the OSPAR Non-Indigenous Species Expert Group meeting. His presentation focused on the Cumulative Impact of Invasive Alien Species (CIMPAL) index, a tool designed to assess the effects of invasive species on ecosystems, soon to be integrated in the GES4SEAS toolbox.

During his talk, Katsanevakis detailed interpretation and implementation processes of CIMPAL index, along with its new and improved versions – CIMPAL+ and CIMPAL-ES. Both versions have been designed to provide more detailed assessments of the impacts of invasive species across ecosystems, advancements which are expected to improve our understanding and management of this issue.

Finally, Katsanevakis gave some updates on the upcoming Horizon Europe project GuardIAS, which will have an even greater focus on invasive species. Overall, this session was a great space to share some of the continuous efforts of the GES4SEAS partners to create improved science-based solutions for better ecosystem management.