Research Objectives

Controlling invasive alien plant species (IAPs) is a major issue in the planning and construction phases of road projects and during infrastructure maintenance and modernization. While technical solutions may be specific to habitats and regions in Europe, common guiding principles and management methods apply. The overall objective of the project is to survey current practices and regulations throughout Europe and to test and evaluate new and innovative concepts for controlling IAS and promoting local biodiversity. Project outcomes include:

1.            A list of invasive species with traffic roads as origin of spread and data on their management and related costs to society, health and road function

2.            A best practice-guide for IAS control during road construction and maintenance

3.            New methods of IAS mitigation for implementation in road building and maintenance procedures

4.            Apply cost benefit analysis for the best practices