Review of Invertebrate Biological Control Agents Introduced into Europe

This book provides an overview of all documented releases of exotic (non-European) invertebrate biological control agents into the environment in Europe and summarizes key information on the target species as well as on the biological control agent released. It covers the period from 1897 to the end of 2009 and is largely based on the BIOCAT database, which contains records of the introduction of insect natural enemies, namely parasitoids and predators, for the control of insect pests worldwide. The content is covered in four sections: Introduction and Summary; European Insect Biocontrol Agents Released in Europe; Weed Control; and Discussion.Providing a representative picture of the history of releases of exotic biological control agents into the environment in Europe, this book is a key resource for researchers and practitioners operating in the areas of biological control and pest management, and those involved in the regulation of the deliberate release of exotic organisms.

Urs Schaffner is Head of the 'Ecosystems Management' section at the CABI Switzerland Centre and affiliate assistant professor at the University of Idaho, USA. His research focuses on soil-plant-herbivore interactions, with particular emphasis on biological invasions, biological control of weeds and grassland restoration. He has 30 years of experience in weed biological control and has worked on aspects such as the ecology and evolutionary ecology of host-specificity of weed biological control agents, pre-release impact assessment, demographic modelling of biological control agents and post-release impact evaluation. He is the coordinator of the 'Woody Weeds' project, a multi-partner project on assessing the environmental and socio-economic effects of invasive trees in Eastern Africa and implementing integrated management strategies, including biological control, that mitigate their negative impacts. Urs participated in more than 10 research projects, (co)authored more than 100 articles, book chapters and other publications, and presented his work in more than 50 scientific meetings, being invited as a keynote speaker, and for workshops, training courses, etc. all over the world.