Plenary speakers

Julie Coetzee

Prof. Julie Coetzee is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Biological Control and a Principal Scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. Her expertise lies in the ecology and management of freshwater invasive species, with a focus on the biological control of invasive macrophytes. Her research centres around the relationships between aquatic invasive plants and their natural enemies, in the broader context of freshwater ecosystem dynamics. By introducing these natural enemies to target invasive species, her team aims to reduce reliance on harmful chemical pesticides. Julie’s commitment extends beyond scientific research. She actively collaborates with local communities, empowering them to participate in nature-based solutions. By engaging with local stakeholders, she ensures that biological control strategies are socially just, and environmentally sustainable. This holistic approach fosters community ownership and long-term success in managing invasive species. Through her work and dedication to community engagement, Julie aims to shape a future where biological control plays a vital role in preserving aquatic ecosystems and promoting sustainable practices.

Curtis C. Daehler

Curt Daehler studies the ecology and impacts of invasive plants, particularly on islands. He and his students address conceptual and applied questions in invasion biology, in contexts of both population and community ecology. He has helped develop risk assessments for invasive plants and predictive tools based on statistics and modeling. Recent work examines and implements approaches to early detection of invasive plant introductions. For over a decade he served as editor of Pacific Science, a journal emphasizing conservation and biogeography of the Pacific region, while also contributing to international collaborations focused on understanding patterns and trends in invasions, such as the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN). He is currently involved in research at the intersection of invasive species and climate change, serving on the science advisory team for the Pacific Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Network.

Kate McAlpine

Dr Kate McAlpine is a science advisor at the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), with more than 23 years of experience researching environmental weeds. Kate earned her PhD in ecology from Victoria University of Wellington, where she studied the factors contributing to invasion success of Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii). Since then, Kate has studied a broad range of environmental weed issues, such as the impacts of weeds on native seedling recruitment, seed dispersal and seedling shade tolerance of weeds, native plant responses to weed control, native succession in woody weed stands, and native species as weeds. In 2024, Kate led the update of the list of environmental weeds in New Zealand, adding 112 new species. Currently, Kate is leading a team to develop a digital ‘Smart Weed Alert Tool’ that will improve our ability to detect new weed incursions early. Kate also represents DOC on several national governance groups, including the National Pest Plant Accord and the National Biocontrol Collective. Kate posts her weedy work stories to Instagram (@katemcweedatwork) and was recently interviewed for the ‘Nature Conversations’ podcast. In her free time, Kate likes to walk, play drums, and create art out of plant material – including weeds (plantart.nz).

Anibal Pauchard

Anibal Pauchard is a Professor at the Faculty of Forest Sciences in the University of Concepción, Chile and Director of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB). He was also a foundering Director of the Laboratory of Biological Invasions (LIB) and co-founder of the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN).

His research is focused on the ecology of biological invasions and their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. His collaborators and him have been looking at invasion processes from local to large intercontinental scales. Anibal is also interested in the conservation of natural areas and how biodiversity should be conserved across the whole anthropogenic gradient from protected areas to urban environments. In recent years, he has been increasingly interested on environmental policy and how conservation can be move to real action.

Anibal has published over 170 indexed publications, more than 10 book chapters and three books. He is an associated editor in several journals including Biological Invasions and Conservation Letters. Anibal has received several national and international awards including the 2018 Cooper Award by the Ecological Society of America (ESA). He has served as a Lead Author for the IPBES Regional Assessment of the Americas and as co-chair of the IPBES invasive species assessment.

Duane Peltzer

Duane Peltzer is a principal scientist (ecosystem ecology) at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Duane is an invasion ecologist by necessity: consideration of introduced species, invasion ecology and management are often required to understand ecosystem processes and properties in New Zealand. Most research is in highly collaborative teams designed to understand ecological or ecosystem complexity that can be applied to large scale conservation issues. These include the ecology and management of tree invasions; the ecological impacts and legacies of weeds; and the role of introduced animals in indigenous forests. Duane has also provided science leadership for collective approaches to applied science, such as New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge (2014-2024). A common goal of Duane’s work is to make new scientific knowledge accessible for decision makers, landowners and managers to ultimately improve biodiversity or biosecurity outcomes in practice.

Montserrat Vilà

Montserrat Vilà is research professor at the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) in Sevilla (Spain). Her research focus on the impacts of plant invaders and their interaction with global change. This research encompass extensive field surveys and experiments, as well as the construction and analysis of large datasets from many regions of the world. On the applied side, she is involved in the development and use of invasion risk assessments to support policy makers and managers. She is member of the Scientific Forum of the European Regulation on Alien Invasive Species, the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Group, and the EICAT-IUCN Authority. She has been president of the European Working Group on Biological Invasions (NEOBIOTA) for ten years. She has published more than 225 SCI papers, edited several books, and regularly produces outreach material on biological invasions.