Impact and Management of Non-Native Marine Species in European Coastal Waters

Innovative tools for monitoring and exploiting Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) under the Socio-Ecological Systems Framework (SESF) in European coastal-marine waters.

Biological invasions are among the most pressing challenges affecting coastal and marine ecosystems worldwide. In European coastal waters, and particularly in the Mediterranean coastal and marine areas, the spread of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) has accelerated due to intensified maritime traffic, climate change, and anthropogenic pressures. NIS can deeply modify local biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem services provisioning. Moreover, their impacts often extend beyond ecological boundaries, affecting fisheries, tourism, public health, and cultural values. As such, managing NIS requires an integrated, interdisciplinary approach reflecting the interconnectedness of ecological and human dimensions.

This Research Topic aims to explore innovative monitoring tools as well as conceptual approaches for assessing the presence, spread, and impacts of NIS within the socio-ecological systems framework (SESF) related to coastal and marine areas. The SES framework recognizes that ecosystems and human societies are deeply intertwined and co-evolving, and that effective environmental governance must consider feedback, trade-offs, and cross-scale interactions.

In this context, traditional ecological monitoring alone may be insufficient to fully understand or manage NIS impacts. Therefore, contributions are invited that merge ecological data with social, economic, and institutional insights, particularly those utilizing or developing novel tools, transdisciplinary methodologies, Citizen Science, or stakeholder-based approaches. These may include methods supporting early detection, rapid assessment, and design of adaptive management responses that are scientifically robust and socially applicable.

The goal of this Research Topic is to build a comprehensive collection of papers presenting practical examples, theoretical advancements, and policy-relevant innovations capable of guiding more effective and inclusive responses to marine biological invasions in Europe. Contributions from various disciplines such as marine ecology, molecular ecology, conservation biology, environmental economics, social sciences, environmental governance, and data science are welcomed and strongly encouraged.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Development and application of emerging monitoring tools for NIS (e.g., environmental DNA, autonomous sensors, remote sensing, machine learning, or AI-enhanced surveillance);
• Integration of ecological and socio-economic indicators to assess NIS impacts within SES frameworks;
• Participatory monitoring approaches (e.g., citizen science, local ecological knowledge, stakeholder mapping) for NIS detection and risk assessment;
• Case studies on adaptive management of NIS considering both ecological data and societal feedback;
• Co-design of management strategies involving multiple stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, coastal communities, researchers, NGOs);
• Modelling tools for simulating NIS spread and associated socio-ecological impacts under future scenarios (e.g., climate change, policy interventions);
• Comparative analyses of NIS governance structures across European coastal regions;
• Tools to support decision-making under uncertainty and promote ecosystem-based management of marine invasions;
• Contributions to EU policy objectives (e.g., Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Biodiversity Strategy, IAS Regulation, Agenda 2030) through a SES perspective.

This Research Topic aims to foster a forward-looking and integrative dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers. By highlighting the value of novel technologies and SES-based approaches, this initiative aims to strengthen the scientific basis and practical tools available for managing marine NIS in Europe’s dynamic and delicate coastal zones.

Interdisciplinary collaborations and comparative studies spanning geographic regions, sectors, and knowledge systems are strongly encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Non-Indigenous Species, Socio-Ecological Systems Framework, Emerging monitoring tools, Ecological and socio-economic indicators, Participatory monitoring

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.