Contrasts in Perception of the Interaction Between Non-Native Species and Climate Change

Over the last century, intensification of human movement worldwide has resulted in a large-scale redistribution of species, which has been compounded in recent decades by climate change. The interaction of these two phenomena have resulted in a number of complexities and challenges for regarding management of non-native species. As effective management can be hampered by disconnects between scientific researchers, natural resource managers and the general public, assessing consensus between these groups is crucial.

Here, we undertake an explorative approach to analyse three groups of people concerned with the management of freshwater ecosystems - recreational fishers, natural resource managers and scientific researchers - in order to better understand consensus or lack thereof regarding the interaction between non-native species and climate change.

We found that while scientific researchers and managers had varying opinions on the management of non-native species as driven by climate change, recreational fishers were almost unanimously opposed to the potential presence of non-native species, regardless of the nature of their introduction. Additionally, definitions of what constitutes a non-native species varied greatly between and within the different groups.

Our results underline both the current lack of consensus on the definition and management of non-native species and a disconnect between and within the three groups regarding both the nature of non-native species and the range-shifting effects of climate change.