Data from: A prioritised list of invasive alien species to assist the effective implementation of EU legislation

1. Effective prevention and control of invasive species generally relies
on a comprehensive, coherent and representative list of species that
enables resources to be used optimally. European Union (EU) Regulation
1143/2014 on invasive alien species (IAS) aims to control or eradicate
priority species, and to manage pathways to prevent the introduction and
establishment of new IAS; it applies to species considered of Union
concern and subject to formal risk assessment. So far, 49 species have
been listed but the criteria for selecting species for risk assessment
have not been disclosed and were probably unsystematic. 2. We developed a
simple method to systematically rank invasive alien species according to
their maximum potential threat to biodiversity in the EU. We identified
1323 species as potential candidates for listing, and evaluated them
against their invasion stages and reported impacts, using information from
databases and scientific literature. 3. 900 species fitted the criteria
for listing according to IAS Regulation. We prioritised 207 species for
urgent risk assessment, 59 by 2018 and 148 by 2020, based on their
potential to permanently damage native species or ecosystems; another 336
species were identified for a second phase (by 2025), to prevent or
reverse their profound impacts on biodiversity; and a further 357 species
for assessment by 2030. 4. Policy implications. We propose a systematic,
proactive approach to selecting and prioritising invasive alien species
for risk assessment to assist European Union policy implementation. We
assess an unprecedented number of species with potential to harm EU
biodiversity using simple methodology that we developed, and recommend
which species should be considered for risk assessment in a ranked order
of priority along the timeline 2018-2030, based on their maximum reported
impact and their invasion history in Europe.