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The Environment
A new landmark survey by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has concluded that invasive species – including marine invasives like the zebra mussel and the lionfish – cost humanity an estimated $423 billion per year. Marine invasive species account for an estimated 10 percent of the impact, but they are of particular concern because they are extremely difficult to eradicate once established along a new coastline. Freshwater species account for an additional 14 percent.
According to IPBES, invasive species (terrestrial and aquatic) have contributed to 60 percent of all known global species extinctions in the modern era. The overwhelming majority (85 percent) of their effects on people are negative – but people are the primary cause of their transport and establishment. Driven by trade and travel, the economic impact of invasive species has been quadrupling every decade. Read on.
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