Contain - Latam

Invasive alien species (IAS) are affecting native species, ecosystems, and livelihood across Latin America. Many of these IAS are so widespread that eradication is not an option, yet doing nothing means accepting their harmful impacts.

What do we do under these circumstances?

CONTAIN is a NERC Newton-funded programme to address this complex and pressing question. The project brings together a team of diverse scientists, including ecologists and economists, and practitioners from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and the UK determined to tackle the problem of invasive species in Latin America. The fundamental objective is to develop and test methods and tools for the cost-effective management of those damaging invasive species.

Find out more about the Latin American Biodiversity Programme here.

Our ambitious research programme includes seven projects covering a variety of case studies, from yellowjacket wasps in Chile to American mink in the Argentinian Patagonian, invasive trees in temperate and subtropical ecosystems of Chile and Argentina, and invasive grasses in the Brazilian Cerrado. You can find more about each project by clicking on the section about our work. Notwithstanding the diversity of case studies, we share a common vision conveniently packaged in 5 working themes described in depth in our recent Open Access publication in the scientific journal Neobiota.