On 13 September, B-Cubed held an online workshop delving into the world of indicators on the impacts of biological invasions. Its objective was to identify the most prominent indicators of the impact of biological invasions, the variables needed to calculate them, and the available data sources. 

International policy frameworks such as the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) with its Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set targets for member states which need to be reported on. These include targets on the management of biological invasions. In order to track them and simplify their reporting, several indicator frameworks have been developed. Dr. Sabrina Kumschick from Stellenbosch University – who organised the workshop – presented the attendees with an overview of indicator frameworks for biological invasions, including a selection of indicators specifically tackling impacts. 

To use the indicators, however, data is needed, and the workshop therefore tackled the data needs for various indicators on impacts of biological invasions, as well as trying to link those to available databases. Considerable work is needed to develop usable workflows for the most relevant indicators, and data gaps or accessibility issues need to be resolved. 

The workshop was attended by fourteen people – representing eight institutions and six countries – and it served as a mere first step to tackling the development of more robust and repeatable impact indicators for biological invasions.