The concept of invasive alien species seems to have successfully broadened its scope from the scientific to the policy realm: It plays an important role in the Convention on Biological Diversity, it continues to mobilise action in the EU since 2014, and also at national levels, the concept has developed significant traction - Sweden’s most recent regulation on invasive species that also restricts the spread of popular garden plants being a striking example.

In this talk, I explore the discursive processes behind this seeming success, looking at ‘invasive alien species’ as an environmental policy concept, and at its development and uptake as conceptual innovation (Meadowcroft and Fiorino 2017). Meadowcroft and Fiorino (2017) postulate that three factors are crucial for a policy concept to develop traction: (a) the concept needs to address a perceived need, it needs to fill a niche, (b) the concept needs to be sufficiently broad or ambiguous to speak to multiple constituencies simultaneously, and (c) the concept needs to be sufficiently close to existing ways of understanding the policy issue – but also offer new perspectives looking forward.

Drawing on social scientific studies and policy examples, I explore the ways in which these three factors played a role in the uptake of invasive species as a policy concept over the last 20 years. In particular, explorations will focus on the value dimensions inherent to invasive alien species as a policy concept, and on the discursive processes that allow diverse societal actors to come together in a coalition supporting control of invasive species. At the same time, there has also been significant opposition to the values mobilised through this policy concept. My talk will examine the factors and processes underpinning this critique, and highlight some of the possible pitfalls that come with the success of invasive alien species as a policy concept.