This report is targeted at policy-makers, particularly those responsible for developing climate mitigation and adaption strategies that address issues like conservation, ecosystem services, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods. It focuses on the primary linkages between invasive species and climate change, as well as the secondary and tertiary interactions of their corresponding impacts.

One of the most severe threats to Protected Areas around the globe is invasive alien species. IAS are non-indigenous species that may spread quickly and aggressively when introduced by humans to areas beyond their normal ranges and can decrease native biodiversity and cause dramatic environmental changes. In fact, IAS are widely recognised as posing threats to biological diversity second only to direct habitat loss and fragmentation, and have been implicated in the decline of endangered species worldwide.