Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are any organism that once introduced to a new environment, prove difficult for the native species to cohabitate with.
They include land and water, plants, animals, insects and other invertebrates, pathogens and parasites.
They cause significant harm to the natural environment, to communities and to Antigua and Barbuda’s economy.
They are usually introduced as non-native species, however, in some circumstances native species can become invasive in their native environments after certain changes occur.
For example, one environmental change that favors some weed species to become invasive is deforestation, as they are suited to colonizing a site rapidly after disturbance. Environmental disturbance can also be caused by the use of a slash and burn agricultural technique or after a natural disaster such as a hurricane. Nevertheless, most invasive alien species are introduced from foreign countries into a region by people, either intentionally or accidentally. Some species proliferate, expand and damage the environment, while others do not.
This happens depends on the individual species’ requirements and the environmental conditions into which they have been introduced. This report is concerned about particular invasive alien species that have proliferated and are causing damage within Antigua and Barbuda’s environment.