The Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre Prague (FISC) at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is a unique project focused on advancing scientific knowledge on the ecology and management of biological invasions in forests. It does so using the “synthesis centre” model that has been successfully applied in various other socio-ecological synthesis centres around the world. The goal of synthesis science is to bring together existing information on basic and applied problems to develop broad new insights and policy solutions. By nature, synthesis research is interdisciplinary and incorporates scientific theory and analytical methods from various disciplines related to ecology in a human context, such as economics, social science, population ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Synthesis science does not involve collecting new laboratory or field data; rather, it is entirely based on mining existing data and/or using and adapting existing models. Consequently, big data analytics plays a major role in synthesis research. Ecological synthesis also emphasises macroecology, which is the study of broad scale ecological patterns and processes.
Contrary to the traditional hierarchical system of research organisation, synthesis research is organised around working groups, which are formed of a diverse collection of researchers and innovators from various host institutions. The Centre facilitates assembling these working groups for two to three 1-week meetings a year, during which they brainstorm and work collaboratively on novel synthesis projects. Each of the Centre working groups is paired with a Centre postdoc whose primary focus is the topic of the working group. Each working group typically lasts 2-3 years, then is phased out, and new working groups are organised around different scientific topics. In between physical group meetings, research momentum is maintained via videoconferences and visits among working group members to the institutions of other group members.
The synthetic research conducted at the Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre focuses on various aspects of the ecology and management of biological invasions in forests. Around the world forests are experiencing detrimental effects of invasions by non-native plants, animals and microorganisms. Some centre topics are primarily ecological, focusing on problems such as the macroecology of forest insect invasions, the physiological ecology of plant invasiveness and the global impacts of insect, pathogen and plant invasions on global forest carbon cycling. Other projects focus on more socioeconomic topics, including human perceptions of non-native species in forests and economic optimization of forest biosecurity practices.
The Centre welcomes proposals for forming new working groups around challenging problems – please contact Andrew Liebhold (Chief Scientist) at aliebhold@gmail.com.
The Centre will be established as part of the HIVE project thanks to funding from the European Union.
| Project name | Center for Biological Invasions in Forests |
| Acronym | HIVE |
| Total budget | 2 492 350 EUR |
| EU contribution | 2 492 350 EUR |
| Implementation period | 1. 1. 2025 – 31. 12. 2029 |
| Name of programme | Horizon Europe |
| More information: | HIVE - Forestry and Wood Sciences CZU Prague |
