Int. J. Risk Assessment and Management, Vol. X, No. X, xxxx 1 Copyright © 200x Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Biosecurity from the ecologist’s perspective: developing a more comprehensive approach Frederick A.B. Meyerson* and Laura A. Meyerson University of Rhode Island, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA E-mail: fmeyerson@uri.edu E-mail: laura_meyerson@uri.edu *Corresponding author Jamie K. Reaser Ecos Systems Institute, Ravens Ridge Farm, 1207 Bull Yearling Road, Stanardsville, VA 22973, USA E-mail: ecos@nelsoncable.com Abstract: National planning for biological security should encompass more than just protection against biological weapons. Global forces such as the introduction and spread of invasive species (including emerging infectious diseases), in conjunction with population growth, climate change and sea-level rise, also constitute threats to security. These linked biological and abiotic phenomena make the United States and other countries less secure by degrading ecosystems and ecosystem services, posing risks to human health and safety, and altering patterns of agriculture, settlement, migration and economic opportunity. Several other countries already use a more comprehensive definition of biosecurity than the USA, one that includes biological threats to the environment, the economy, and human health and well- being. We assert that an expanded definition of biosecurity is necessary in a world undergoing rapid change due to altered climate, growing population and increased rates of trade, transport and travel. Keywords: bio-fuels; biosecurity; climate change; globalisation; human health; invasive species; migration; pathogens; population; trade; transportation. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Meyerson, F.A.B., Meyerson, L.A. and Reaser, J.K. (xxxx) ‘Biosecurity from the ecologist’s perspective: developing a more comprehensive approach’, Int. J. Risk Assessment and Management, Vol. x, No. x, pp.xx–xx. Biographical notes: Frederick A.B. Meyerson is an Assistant Professor of demography, ecology and environmental policy at the University of Rhode Island. His research and writing focus on population policy and the interactions between human demographic change and the environment, particularly climate change and the loss of biological diversity. He is the author of more than 60 scientific and popular articles and book chapters. He was educated at