Dr. G. Keith
Douce, Co-Director of The University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species
& Ecosystem Health made an invited presentation at the European Union Cooperation in
Science & Technology [COST] Action TD1209: European Information System for
Alien Species working group meeting held in Antalya, Turkey on
November 2nd & 3rd, 2014.
The TD1209
COST Action meeting was attended by 84 country-level representatives from 27
European countries as well as representatives from Australia and New Zealand.
The goal of the meeting was to facilitate the development of a European
Invasive Alien Species (IAS) information system using enhanced knowledge
gathering and sharing through a network of [European] experts. This
will enable effective and informed decision-making about IAS issues EU-wide as
well as country-levels. Other objectives
were developing and implementing Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWRR) tools
and protocols and incorporating Citizen Scientists into the reporting and
decision-making process. Dr. Douce was
the only U.S. representative at the meeting and his presentation was
titled: EDDMapS Europe: A possible
framework for a European / North American coalition to deal with invasive alien
species.
After the
COST Action meeting, Dr. Douce made a
presentation titled: EDDMAPS & Bugwood Apps: Using
Information Technology & partnerships to collect data and map invasive
species across the U.S. at the 8th International NEOBIOTA Conference on Biological
Invasions (http://neobiota2014.org/)
also held in Antalya, Turkey on November 3-8, 2014.