Same Risk Area: An area-based approach for the management of bio-invasion risks from ships' ballast water

Same Risk Area refers to an area-based approach for the risk assessment of aquatic invasive species that considers the extent of natural dispersal. It is a new addition to the Guidelines on Risk Assessment (G7) under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. The method outlined here to define the extent of a Same Risk Area assesses the connectivity of species of concern within a wider area by combining information from simulated hydrodynamic data and agent-based modelling with the biological traits and habitat preferences of the selected target species.