Invasive species biology, ecology, management and risk assessment: Evaluating and mitigating the invasion risk of biofuel crops

Abstract

Biofuel crops are being selected to require minimal inputs, tolerate marginal growing conditions, and exhibit rapid growth rates—agronomically desirable traits that also characterize many of our worst invasive species. Many of the candidate biofuel crops are known invasive or noxious species in portions of their non-native range. Most invasive species were intentionally introduced and cause tremendous environmental and economic harm globally. Necessary elements for the sustainable production of bioenergy include assessment and subsequent mitigation of the invasive potential of biofuel crops prior to large-scale adoption, as the economic benefits of bio-based energy may be offset by environmental damage and management costs. We outline a proposed invasiveness risk evaluation to be conducted on each crop, and subsequent mitigating practices along each step of the biofuel pathway.