Delayed biodiversity responses to environmental forcing mean that rates of contemporary biodiversity changes are underestimated, yet these delays are rarely addressed in conservation policies. Here, we identify mechanisms that lead to such time lags, discuss shifting human perceptions, and propose how these phenomena should be addressed in biodiversity management and science.

Centre for Invasion Biology Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa

Centre for Invasion Biology Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa; Environment Agency Austria Spittelauer Lände 5 1090 Vienna Austria; Division of Conservation Biology Vegetation and Landscape Ecology Faculty Centre of Biodiversity University of Vienna Rennweg 14 1030 Vienna Austria

Centre for Invasion Biology Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa; South African National Biodiversity Institute Kirstenbosch Research Centre Claremont 7735 South Africa

Division of Conservation Biology Vegetation and Landscape Ecology Faculty Centre of Biodiversity University of Vienna Rennweg 14 1030 Vienna Austria

Environment Agency Austria Spittelauer Lände 5 1090 Vienna Austria

Institute of Botany Department of Invasion Ecology The Czech Academy of Sciences 252 43 Průhonice Czech Republic; Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic

The Bio Protection Research Centre Lincoln University PO Box 84850 Canterbury New Zealand

References provided by Crossref.org

Management Measures and Trends of Biological Invasions in Europe: A Survey-Based Assessment of Local Managers

Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming