Quantifying current and future risks of invasiveness of non‐native aquatic species in highly urbanised estuarine ecosystems—A case study of the River Neretva Estuary (Eastern Adriatic Sea: Croatia and Bosnia–Herzegovina)

Study of the impacts of biological invasions, a pervasive component of global change, has generated remarkable understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of the spread of introduced populations. The growing field of invasion science, poised at a crossroads where ecology, social sciences, resource management, and public perception meet, is increasingly exposed to critical scrutiny from several perspectives. Although the rate of biological invasions, elucidation of their consequences, and knowledge about mitigation are growing rapidly, the very need for invasion science is disputed. Here, we highlight recent progress in understanding invasion impacts and management, and discuss the challenges that the discipline faces in its science and interactions with society. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show more