THE THEMATIC ASSESSMENT REPORT ON INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES AND THEIR CONTROL
4STATEMENTS FROM KEY PARTNERS
It is urgent to accelerate 
efforts against invasive 
alien species, one of the 
five major drivers of biodiversity 
loss that also threatens our health, 
social development, and culture. 
UNESCO, as an institutional partner 
of IPBES, takes pride to have 
supported this new Assessment 
Report. It provides a valuable 
analysis of how invasive alien 
species are distributed globally and 
the diverse strategies used to 
manage them. The report draws on 
a wide range of knowledge and 
perspectives from around the 
world, including Indigenous and 
local knowledge, which is a central 
focus of UNESCO's programmes. 
This crucial information will 
strengthen ongoing initiatives in 
UNESCO-designated sites and 
help decision-makers shape their 
policies worldwide.
Audrey Azoulay
Director-General, 
United Nations Educational, 
Scientific and Cultural Organization 
(UNESCO) 
Invasive alien species pose 
a substantial threat to 
livelihoods and food security 
around the world. They can, for 
example, manifest as destructive crop 
or forest pests or displace species 
targeted by fisheries. They are an 
important driver of biodiversity loss 
and hence a threat to the various 
ecosystem services that support 
agricultural production and sustainable 
livelihoods.
The information contained in this 
report will contribute greatly to efforts 
to combat the spread of invasive alien 
species and to meeting Target 6 of the 
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity 
Framework. It will be especially 
valuable for all of us who work to 
integrate the conservation and 
sustainable use of biodiversity into the 
world's agrifood systems to enhance 
their productivity and resilience.
QU Dongyu
Director-General, 
Food and Agriculture Organization of 
the United Nations 
(FAO)
STATEMENTS FROM 
KEY PARTNERS
Humanity has been moving 
species around the world for 
centuries. This practice has 
brought some positives. However, when 
imported species run rampant and unbalance 
local ecosystems, indigenous biodiversity 
suffers. As a result, invasive species have 
become one of the five horsemen of the 
biodiversity apocalypse that is riding down 
harder and faster upon the world.
While the other four horsemen - changing 
land- and sea-use, over exploitation, climate 
change and pollution - are relatively well 
understood, knowledge gaps remain around 
invasive species. The IPBES Invasive Alien 
Species Report is a welcome effort to close 
these gaps. By providing critical information 
on trends in invasive species and policy 
tools to address them, this report can 
provide a springboard to concrete action on 
invasive species.
I ask all decision-makers to use this report's 
recommendations as a basis to act on this 
growing threat to biodiversity and human 
well-being - and make a real contribution to 
achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global 
Biodiversity Framework by 2030.
Inger Andersen
Executive Director
United Nations Environment Programme 
(UNEP) 
STATEMENTS FROM KEY PARTNERS
The thematic assessment report on
INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES
AND THEIR CONTROL
FOREWORDFOREWORD
