Plant invasion risk in the Marine Protected Area of Tavolara (Italy)

Invasions by alien plants pose a significant threat to biodiversity, having negative impacts on species richness, community, and ecosystems. Protected areas and small islands could be particularly affected by the presence of non-native plants that pose high threats to their biodiversity. Several surveys were made under the LIFE project “Puffinus Tavolara” (LIFE12 NAT/IT/000416) between 2014 and 2015 to detect the presence of non-native plant species in the Marine Protected Area of Tavolara (Sardinia, Italy). The aim of the present work was to produce an updated inventory of the alien flora of the Island of Tavolara and the nearby Isola Piana. A list of 58 non-native taxa was produced, assessing their accidental or voluntary introduction, residence and invasive status, and applying an adapted A-WRA and EPPO prioritisation methods on the alien flora of these islands. Importantly, the results of the two methods applied are quite different, but they are both useful and informative for the prioritisation and management of invasive alien plants.