Aquatic alien species - where and why they pose a threat to ecosystem functions and economy?

AQUALIENS is a research program, funded by the Swedish Environmental Research Council, aimed at increasing our knowledge on how to assess the risks posed by introduced aquatic species and their impact on ecosystems and economy.

The program will focus on:

• Evaluating the risks on the ecosystem level for organisms having specific functions or attributes


• Identifying the types of aquatic ecosystems that are most vulnerable to introductions and which type of organism will pose the greatest threat in different environments


• Tools for risk analysis and assessments


• Economic analysis of efficient risk management

The program will run for five years beginning in 2002.

The program's scientific leader and coordinator is Professor Inger Wallentinus, Department of Marin Botany, Göteborg University, Sweden.