Lists of alien taxa facilitate the link between evidence and action and are thus essential for integrated governance. However, the recent IPBES IAS Assessment identified significant gaps in the completeness and availability of lists of alien taxa in the Global South. This article, also available in French, Portuguese and Spanish, introduces three joint special issues based on data collected from over 40 countries – 11 articles in African Biodiversity & Conservation addressing issues in Africa, five articles in Bioinvasiones addressing issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 12 articles in NeoBiota addressing issues of broader interest or from other regions. The articles: describe lists of alien taxa from different groups, environments and regions, (including countries, islands, and protected areas); compare lists from different countries; present workflows and protocols to address specific issues; and discuss experiences and lessons in the process of creating lists. The importance of applying and adapting approaches and terminologies to local contexts and languages rather than imposing them externally is discussed. However, it is also important that workflows and translation tables are available to ensure data are more accessible and interoperable, e.g. by explicitly linking to relevant taxonomic backbones, using Darwin Core terms, and contributing to the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Achieving these two aims will help lists be useful to local end-users and facilitate international collaboration, especially South–South initiatives.