On 25–26 May 2026, the second GuardIAS best-practice workshop took place in Florence, Italy.
30 European participants (scientists, consultants, people from local, national and EU authorities as well as from NGOs) shared their experience on invasive crayfish management.
They discussed common challenges, different techniques, new approaches and the pros and cons of invasivorism (consuming invasive crayfish) as an effective control method. The involvement of citizens, especially for early detection, was highlighted. Prof. Peter Robertson also elicited the identification of necessary innovations for management to be taken forward.
During the workshop, Prof. Jonathan Jeschke, Dr. Sophia Kimmig and team engaged the participants in an interactive and really appreciated role-playing game on crayfish management developed on the GuardIAS Case Study 2 on the red swamp crayfish in Tuscany.
Despite the intense heat wave, the participants also visited a locally protected wetland area, ANPIL La Querciola, invaded by the red swamp crayfish and other invasive species, to observe how the ecosystem approach through restoration mitigates the impacts of these species, allowing the presence of protected aquatic plants and amphibians.
The workshop represented the official kick-off of a European community of practice on crayfish management that the participants were keen to establish and maintain to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and control activities.
