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Open Access CC BY V4.0
Journal article
Safeguarding islands: A systematic review of global island biosecurity plans
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol.66, e04107
2026
Appears in Open Access via Read & Publish Agreements
Abstract
Islands are globally recognised for their unique biodiversity and high levels of endemism. These fragile ecosystems also support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, many of whom depend directly on natural resources for economic and cultural wellbeing. As international and domestic trade and tourism increases globally, so too does the risk of introduction of invasive alien species. In response, a growing number of islands have developed biosecurity plans to manage these risks. This study presents a systematic review of global island biosecurity plans. We found 41 island biosecurity plans from 13 countries with three countries accounting for 63 % of all island biosecurity plans; Australia (15 of 41 biosecurity management plans; 37 %), United States of America (6 of 41; 15 %), and New Zealand (5 of 41; 12 %). The number of world heritage sites, and the volume of international tourist arrivals, emerged as strong predictors for the presence of an island biosecurity plan. However, these factors were not strong predictors of the contents of plans. Plan content was strongly associated with interactions between environmental (e.g. terrestrial, marine, freshwater, or disease), governance (e.g. site, local, subnational, national, regional, or international), and economic (e.g. agriculture, fishery, tourism, export, import, or other) focus of islands. By highlighting the limited number of islands globally with established biosecurity management plans, and identifying shared features and context-dependent differences, this study provides a foundation for developing generalised, yet adaptable, biosecurity frameworks tailored for diverse island contexts.
Details
- Title
- Safeguarding islands: A systematic review of global island biosecurity plans
- Authors/Creators
- Yang Liu - Murdoch University, Harry Butler InstituteChad HewittSimon McKirdy - Harry Butler InstituteMelissa Thomas - Murdoch University, Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
- Publication Details
- Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol.66, e04107
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V.; AMSTERDAM
- Number of pages
- 20
- Identifiers
- 991005861089107891
- Copyright
- Crown Copyright © 2026
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Biosecurity and One Health; Harry Butler Institute
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 6 Social Sciences
- 6.86 Human Geography
- 6.86.2482 Island Sovereignty
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Ecology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology