Social media unveils the hidden but high magnitude of human-mediated biological invasions in China

Abstract

Humans are responsible for the release of many non-native animals into the wild. However, these releases occur randomly and are difficult to monitor. Here, using two of the worst invasive herpetofauna as model taxa, we applied an iEcology approach and found a high magnitude of human-mediated releases in China, suggesting this approach can be used to monitor introductions and advise management bodies in a timely manner.