List of invasive species in Europe  This is a list of invasive species in Europe. A species is regarded as invasive if it has become introduced to a location, area, or region where it did not previously occur naturally (i.e., is not a native species) and becomes capable of establishing a breeding population in the new location. An invasive species will be one that thrives in its new environment and negatively influences the ecology and biodiversity of that ecosystem. Negative effects can affect also humans, by compromising human health (e.g. vectors of diseases) or socioeconomic systems (e.g. damages to agriculture or forestry). The term invasive species refers to a subset of those species defined as introduced species. If a species has been introduced but remains local, and is not problematic to human systems or to the local biodiversity, then it cannot be considered to be invasive, and does not belong on this list. Different initiatives have been promoted in order to prioritize species among this long (and ongoing) list. Some examples are: