[ad_1]
The costs of damage from invasions of alien species across the world are tripling every decade, research shows.
Mosquitoes, rats, ragweeds and termites are among the species that have taken hold of globalized trade routes, causing disease, crop destruction and damage to buildings. Scientists have calculated the costs at $ 1.3 billion (£ 944 billion) since 1970, and said even this “staggering sum” was likely underestimated, as much damage goes unreported.
The rapidly growing costs show no signs of slowing down, the researchers said, and are more than 10 times the funding to prevent or deal with these biological invasions. They said global action to tackle invasive species remains limited, mainly because “deep” impacts are poorly understood by the public and politicians.
Mosquitoes Aedes genus, like the tiger mosquito, spread Zika virus, dengue fever, yellow fever and other viruses, and was responsible for the biggest costs. Invasive rodents such as the black rat, gray squirrel, nutria, and house mouse also cause serious damage to human health, crops and food supplies, and native wildlife.
Formosa termites, voracious wood consumers, pose a particular problem in the United States, while the red fire ant has spread from its South American homeland to Australia, New Zealand, to several countries in Asia and the Caribbean and the United States. Fall armyworm, which can destroy many crops, arrived in Africa in 2016 and has now invaded dozens of countries.
“The economic costs of invasive alien species since 1970 have been enormous, constantly increasing, but still massively underestimated,” said Christophe Diagne, of the University of Paris-Saclay, France, who led the research. He said the increasing damage reflects the growth in international trade and the expansion of the area of farmland and settlements that invaders can damage.
Professor Corey Bradshaw, Flinders University in Australia, who was part of the study team, said: “The faster you detect invasive species and the faster you act, the less it costs in the long run. So very good detection in ports and airports and then quick responses will cost you a lot less money than the damage. “
He said consumers ended up paying for the damage through higher prices for food and other products and higher healthcare costs.
The research, published in the journal Nature, analyzed more than 1,300 damage estimates from invasive animals and plants. Costs were highest in the United States, India, China and Brazil, but that likely reflects where the problems were most reported. There is little or no data in many other parts of the world.
Some earlier cost estimates pointed to much higher damage – up to $ 1.4 billion per year – but Bradshaw said these were largely based on poor or speculative valuations. “Some were not even ‘on the back of the envelope’ – there was no envelope,” he said.
The new analysis was deliberately conservative, using only estimates based on observed data. “But there are so many that are unquantifiable from a monetary standpoint, like ecosystem damage and lost productivity, so it’s always the tip of the iceberg,” Bradshaw said. The real costs could be 10 times higher, he said.
Biological invasions are known to increase and therefore increasing cost estimates are unlikely to be solely the result of increased damage reports. Either way, the scientists said, “they are showing incredible amounts” and “a huge economic burden”.
Professor Helen Roy, from the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology, who was not part of the research team, said: “The most important aspect of this research is to show the rising costs, regardless of the cost. exact figure. Overall, this is a very useful document and contains some great recommendations. It also gives some reason to be optimistic – there are ways to prevent the arrival or manage the invasive alien species that become established. “
Bradshaw said the cinnamon fungus, which rots the roots of plants, including vines, is one of Australia’s most damaging invasive species. “I have a small farm and it killed all my chestnuts. We are therefore slowly replacing them with resistant trees. “
[ad_2]
Source link