Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study
Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction.
Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality.
To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries.
They then modelled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available.
"We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking," Soto told AFP.
Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin.
Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia.
"Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management," Soto said. "Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the US."
Animals can cause devastating damage too.
Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria.
Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programmes.
"Our study is based on only 162 species," Soto noted. "Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
A Platform for African Voices: Environmental Scientists Tackle Poverty, Inequality
Activists stage a protest during the final days of the Plastics Treaty Negotiations at the United Nations Offices in Geneva on August 13, 2025. Image: AFP Professor Vetrimurugan Elumalai The world faces a wave of climate crises, and time is slipping away. No continent is safe. There is an unparalleled peak in climate-related crises. Weather patterns are extreme and dangerous. The fragile balance of biodiversity is in peril. Ecosystems are being eroded, and natural habitats are being destroyed. Pollution is an ever-increasing hazard as air, water, and soil are contaminated. Our very life force is under threat. Without prompt and concerted action, the outcomes for future generations will be devastating. We will increasingly witness life-threatening heatwaves, floods, disappearing species, and the disappearance of water, as well as ecosystems. It is within this context of impending hydrogeological calamity that the University of Zululand will be hosting the Third International Conference on Earth and Environmental Sciences (ICEES 17-24 August 2025). This prestigious event, to be opened by Dr Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, brings together renowned scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society actors from across the world in the field of environmental science. The conference will focus on interlinked concerns: climate change and water security; pollution and environmental degradation; and biodiversity loss. This conference is more than an intellectual landmark — it is a vitally crucial strategic intervention which signals that African universities can be leaders, not followers, in the global environmental arena. The idea of science in the service of communities is at the heart of the university. Rooted in the rural heartland of KwaZulu-Natal, the university is engaged in leading-edge analysis in water security, pollution control, and biodiversity protection. This is a kind of research that is grounded in the lived realities of communities encountering critical environmental stresses. The research interest is thus not limited to scholastic curiosity. It also finds resonance with the strategic goal of ensuring rural community survival and resilience. "Our research is not abstract," says Vice-Chancellor of UNIZULU, Xoliswa Mtose, "It is grounded in the needs of communities. When we talk about groundwater protection or pollution control, it is because we see — daily — what happens when these systems fail." Water security is our highest priority. In Southern Africa, increasing global temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and lengthy droughts are weakening freshwater resources to the breaking point. Rural communities often endure the brunt of these pressures, yet they are infrequently given a voice in shaping water policy. Through our Research Centre for Water Science and Technology, we are advancing groundwater management, hydro-geochemistry, and climate adaptation strategies that blend cutting-edge scientific methods with indigenous knowledge and community-led solutions. Pollution, often a silent crisis, is a concern that should also be taken seriously. From the dangers of organic pollutants and acid mine drainage to the global scourge of plastic waste, our researchers are not only analysing the problems but vigorously developing remediation technologies. Our work is performed in partnership with municipalities, government departments, and global institutions. This ensures that findings are not sealed away in scholarly journals but decoded into policy reforms and operational strategies. In doing so, we are assisting in shifting environmental governance from reactive crisis management to proactive, science-informed Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, yet habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate disruption are accelerating. For many living in rural settings, the very issue of biodiversity is the cornerstone of everyday survival. To address this challenge, the university cooperates with conservation agencies and international networks to devise community-based conservation measures that link ecological defence directly to sustainable livelihoods. This is critical in the African context, where conservation cannot thrive without managing poverty, inequality, and the historical dispossession of land and resources. ICEES 2025 is not a sole initiative but the continuation of a decade of strategic, international collaboration. The conference series arose from a South Africa–China research partnership funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Since 2015, this partnership has delivered 13 peer-reviewed papers, a significant academic book, student exchanges, and specialist workshops. The 2023 conference, held in China under the theme of "Valuing Groundwater for the Future," attracted leading heavyweight practitioners in water science. Both technical research and policy frameworks for sustainable groundwater governance were conference outcomes. Last year, UNIZULU hosted the International Conference on Water and Environmental Sustainability in Richards Bay, which was attended by over 200 delegates. The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, was a keynote speaker. The conference highlighted the political and economic urgency of sustainable water management. These events have bolstered South Africa's international profile in environmental science and reinforced the University of Zululand's role as a generator of actionable policy a post-pandemic world, debates over sustainable development, the just energy transition, and inclusive climate action have become more acute and more examined. The global environmental agenda remains overwhelmed by voices from the Global North, even though the Global South endures the most devastating effects. ICEES 2025 is designed to change that dynamic. By assembling international experts in KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Zululand is placing African science not as a secondary partner but as a driver of international solutions. This is not metaphorical. It is strategic. We strive to ensure that conference discussions are grounded in both scientific evidence and the real-world needs of impacted communities. Sessions will be structured to yield concrete results — from policy briefs for government and multilateral agencies to technical approaches for industry and NGOs.
eNCA
5 days ago
- eNCA
Trump orders space regulations eased in win for Musk
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor Elon Musk. The executive order, which said it aimed to "substantially" increase the number of space launches in the United States, was described by an environmental group as "reckless." Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has talked up several space missions including sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The Moon and Mars missions are planned to get a ride on the massive Starship rocket of Musk's private firm SpaceX. However, Starship has had a series of setbacks, with its latest routine test ending in a fiery explosion in June. AFP/File | TIMOTHY A. CLARY SpaceX dominates the global launch market, with its various-sized rockets blasting off more than 130 times last year - and that number looks set to rise after Trump's executive order. "It is the policy of the United States to enhance American greatness in space by enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence" by 2030, the order read. The change could well benefit Musk, who has long advocated for deregulation of the space industry. The world's richest man was previously a close advisor to Trump before the pair had a dramatic, public falling out in July. The executive order also called on Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy - who was at the signing and is currently NASA's administrator - "to eliminate or expedite the Department of Transportation's environmental reviews" for launches. SpaceX has been repeatedly criticised over the environmental impact at the sites where Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket in history, blasts off. The US-based nonprofit Centre for Biological Diversity said Trump's new executive order "paves the way for the massive destruction of protected plants and animals." "This reckless order puts people and wildlife at risk from private companies launching giant rockets that often explode and wreak devastation on surrounding areas," the centre's Jared Margolis said in a statement. Musk's dreams of colonising Mars rely on the success of Starship, and SpaceX has been betting that its "fail fast, learn fast" ethos will eventually pay off. The Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment.
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Nasa Crew-10 astronauts depart space station after five months
Four astronauts from Nasa's Crew-10 mission departed the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, heading for a splashdown off the US west coast on Saturday morning after a five-month crew rotation mission at the orbiting lab. US astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, the Crew-10 commander, boarded the gumdrop-shaped Dragon capsule on Friday afternoon along with Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov ahead of a 17.5-hour trek back to Earth to a splashdown site off the California coast. The four-person crew launched to the ISS on March 14 in a routine mission that replaced the Crew-9 crew, which included Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronaut pair left on the station by Boeing's Starliner capsule. Five months after the Starliner mission's conclusion, Wilmore this week retired from Nasa after a 25-year career in which he flew four different spacecraft and logged a total of 464 days in space. Wilmore was a key technical adviser to Boeing's Starliner programme along with Williams, who remains at the agency in its astronaut corps. The four astronauts in the Crew-10 capsule are scheduled for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11.33am ET (3.33pm GMT) Saturday. Nasa said they are returning to Earth with "important and time-sensitive research" conducted in the microgravity environment of the ISS during the 146-day mission. The astronauts had over 200 science experiments on their to-do list. Reuters
