Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa

A tool to help prioritise invasive alien species

EICAT is a key tool for prioritising alien species that could lead to the most harmful environmental impacts, helping to make the best use of resources to prevent or limit their negative consequences. It alerts scientists, conservation practitioners and policy makers to the potential consequences of alien species, guides the development of prevention and mitigation measures, and assists in the prioritisation of management actions. EICAT can be applied at the national, regional and global levels.

The EICAT Categories and Criteria provide a simple, objective and transparent method to classify alien species into one of eight categories, according to the severity of their environmental impact. This is determined by the extent to which native species are affected and whether the impact is reversible.