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Khaleej Times
26-05-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Invasive species cost trillions in damages, say researchers
From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about $35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. 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." Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study
A wild boar runs over a glade in a forest in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Paris, France — From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about US$35 billion a year for decades, researchers said Monday. 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.' Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the UN's biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Alien plants and animals have cost Europe over $1.5 trillion, study finds
Alien plants and animals cost Europe over $1.5 trillion in the last six decades, according to a new study, indicating the global economic impact of such species could be several times higher than previously thought. The research, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, assessed data on 162 invasive species and their potential damage to various countries. Previous studies have shown that invasive alien species pose a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and economies. By one estimate, they have contributed to 60 per cent of recorded global extinctions. However, previous estimates of the monetary impact of invasive species were based on only a few documented costs from a limited range of countries, researchers said. The latest study combines the estimated costs, including damage to agriculture, at the national level for 162 invasive species with models of where the species are distributed around the world. The analysis maps the impact of species such as the Asian tiger mosquito, the tree of heaven and the American bullfrog, and estimates monetary costs incurred by their spread in other countries, including 78 nations for which no data was previously available such as Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Cyprus, and Egypt. Invasive plant species were found to be responsible for costing national economies $926bn for the study period followed by arthropods at $830.29bn. Invasive mammals cost $263.35bn, birds about $101.36bn, molluscs $16.31bn and fish $3.47bn. On a per square kilometre basis, wild boars were estimated to be the most economically burdensome at over $121,000, followed by the Canada goose at over $62,000. The most burdensome plants were the Japanese knotweed, West Indian lantana, and the Canary Islands sorrel, the study found. Overall, there was a 17-fold discrepancy between previous estimates and the total latest calculation of the impact of alien species. 'It represents a discrepancy of the global cost of these species from $126.81bn to $2,215bn over the period 1960–2022, resulting in an annual average of $35 billion,' the study noted. 'Europe had the highest potential impacts from biological invasions, reaching $1,584bn, which is 71.45 per cent of global costs.' Among countries, the study found the UK had the highest estimated costs due to invasive species at over $1.3tn. 'Regionally, Europe, the east coast of China, and the east and west coasts of the US were highly affected,' researchers said. climate change.'
