Invasive species

An invasive species is a species that is not native to a specific location. In other words, an invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native. Invasive species is a concept on which there is no solid consensus. The process of biological invasion can be divided into four distinct phases: the arrival (or introduction) of the species, its establishment (or fixation), its expansion and the balance of the species in the community. Approximately 42 percent of threatened or endangered species are at risk due to invasive species.

An example of an invasive species, the Central American toad, Bufo mufinus, has been extensively introduced throughout the Caribbean and Pacific regions and is now one of the most widespread of terrestrial vertebrates.