The human and social dimensions of invasion science and management

Biological invasions are a leading causeof global environmental changegiven their effectson both humansandbiodiversity. Humans introduceinvasive alien species and may facilitate their establishment and spread,which can alter ecosystem services, livelihoods,and human well-being. People perceivethe benefits and costs of these species through thelens of diverse value systems; these perspectives influencedecisions about when and where to manage them. Despite the entanglement of humans with invasivealienspecies,mostresearch on the topic has focusedon their ecologicalaspects. Only relatively recently have thehuman and social dimensions of invasions started to receivesustainedattention in light of theirimportancefor understandingand governing biological invasions.This editorial drawsoncontributions to a special issueon the “Human and Social Dimensions of Invasion Science”and other literatureto elucidatemajortrendsand current contributionsin this research area. Weexamine the relation between humans and biological invasions in terms of fourcrosscuttingthemes:(1) how humans causebiological invasions;(2) how humans conceptualize and perceive them;(3)how humans are affected –both positively and negatively –by them;and (4) how humansrespondto them.We also highlight several ways in which research on the human and social dimensionsof invasion science improves understanding, stakeholder engagement,and managemen