What Managers Want From Invasive Species Research Versus What They Get

We compared the published research on exotic invasive plants with research needs identified by practitioners who manage wildland invasions in California. We filtered the 2007-2011 contents of 20 journals to find 347 relevant articles, then classified them in four areas: topical relevance, spatial/temporal scale, management usefulness, and accessibility and timeliness. We found basic research to be heavily overrepresented compared to applied research, but authors of basic research papers typically gave at least some consideration to management implications of the work. The taxonomic coverage of the database was uneven, with four invaders accounting for nearly half the published work, and several high-priority species being absent. Small temporal and spatial scales, lack of information on management costs, and a long lag time before publication also hinder the usefulness of invasions research to managers. However, articles were widely available for free download, suggesting that access to research should not be among managers' concerns.