Four million for projects on invasive Pacific oysters
Invasive alien species pose a major threat to biodiversity, but some species not only have negative effects but can also be valuable from both a commercial and an ecological perspective. Researchers will now develop a model for sustainable management of the invasive Pacific ostrich.
– The Pacific oyster is not only evil. It has a great commercial value and with the right management, harvesting wild stocks would be an important addition to the blue industry, says Åsa Strand, researcher at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
In a new project funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, IVL will, together with other research actors, develop a model for sustainable management of Pacific oysters where the species' negative effects are minimized, while benefits from the species are utilized.
Using the Pacific oyster as a case study, the researchers will develop a dynamic management model based on a zoning of the Swedish coast based on how far the oyster has come in its invasion process in different parts of the coast.
For each zone, specific goals and measures shall be proposed to optimize the management of the species and these shall also be evaluated from an economic cost-benefit perspective. The principles in the model must be able to be used in management strategies also for other marine invasive alien species.
Other participants in the project are the University of Gothenburg, KTH and the University of Agder, Norway. Dynamo - dynamic management of the invasive Pacific ostrich in Sweden - is financed with four million and will run until 2024.
For more information, please contact:
Åsa Strand, asa.strand@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 66 05
Anna-Lisa Wrange, anna-lisa.wrange@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 67 04