Alien and invasive species in Georgia - brief situational analysis and perspectives.

The introduction of alien species into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is a global problem that is becoming more widespread every year. At the same time, species invasion is considered one of the main causes of global biodiversity decline. Despite stricter and more stringent regulations, the number of alien and invasive species is particularly high in developed countries due to increased trade, shipping, tourism, and other traffic. At the same time, the possibility of establishing foreign species is greater in countries where the degradation of biodiversity is more intense. On the other hand, in a developing country like Georgia, biodiversity and a significant part of ecosystems still function completely naturally, virtually intact. The invasion of foreign and invasive species in such a region may be considered one of the main reasons for the disruption of the natural balance. It should be noted that the economies of developing countries (including Georgia) are particularly vulnerable to the economic losses that invasive species cause and may cause in the future. Due to both economic and social difficulties, the management of alien and invasive species is an insurmountable problem for developing countries. In many cases, alien species research, monitoring, and management efforts are not consciously undertaken until the alien species has become an invasive agent causing significant damage. In such a case, the management of infestations is associated with much more significant costs and losses. Despite limited resources, effective management of invasive species is especially important for developing countries to avoid ecological and economic collapse. To this end, special importance is given to the assessment of the risks associated with such species. This means, at the first stage, the screening of potential invasive species with a particularly high risk for the given region (in this case, Georgia). Accordingly, directing scarce resources toward the prevention of the introduction of high-risk potential invasive species can be considered the most effective and cheapest means of combating alien and invasive species. There are a number of methodological and technical tools at different stages of development for the detection of high-risk potential invasive species. One of the most sophisticated methods among them is the ISK (Invasiveness Screening Kit) methodology, which was originally developed to assess the risks of weeds. Over the past two decades, the ISK infrastructure has developed so that today it is possible to assess the risks of all types of terrestrial and aquatic organisms. In the paper, we present some details about the field of use of ISK, its technical characteristics, with the purpose of its further popularization and wide use in Georgia. Ref. 27.