The compounding threat of invasive alien species
Date: 14th September 2023
Biological invasions cost the global community an estimated USD$423 billion in 2019, and those costs have quadrupled every decade since 1970.
The Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control
https://www.ipbes.net/IASmediarelease
is a new report released by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), looking at one of the five most important direct drivers of biodiversity loss. The authors say ambitious progress in tackling invasive alien species is achievable, but governments and different sectors have to start collaborating more to get the job done.
New Zealand’s science media centre http://www.sciencemediscentre.co.nz asked local experts to comment on the report. It’s a challenging read because of Professor Jacqueline Beggs from the University of Auckland says ““New Zealand, with its unique native plants and animals, is now a battleground against alien invaders”.
There are some relevant statements for the wilding pine challenge:
“Tackling the problem cannot consist of blindly condemning any non-native species, instead, carefully weighing off all five mentioned environmental pressures and with a cost-benefit analysis is critical. This leads to some tricky and highly political questions in the example of Aotearoa/New Zealand: with a given amount of money, say one million $, should we attempt to remove an aggressive weed from an area, or instead plant a few hectares of pine forest (which will likely turn into native forest over time) that quickly removes carbon from the atmosphere and prevent the loss of species locally and globally through climate change mitigation?” Professor Sebastian Leuzinger, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.
“Professor Stoett’s optimistic concluding message that ambitious progress in tackling invasive alien species is achievable must surely be tempered by the magnitude of the resourcing lift and shift that would be needed to implement the containment and/or eradication needed to address the ever-increasing flow of ecosystem capturing alien invasives threatening New Zealand’s environment and economy.
“Two recent concerning examples of inadequate management responses in New Zealand are the national funding cutbacks for wilding pine control and the arrival of the golden clam in the Waikato River. In the first case (wilding pines), the good progress made in recent years is likely to stall and the previous investment squandered by not continuing control efforts. And in the second case, the golden clam, recognised globally as a serious infrastructure and environment threat, was overlooked for at least two years, followed by an insufficient response”. Professor Bruce Clarkson, Environmental Research Institiute, University of Waikato.
“Incursions of invasive and unwanted pests can affect entire communities, this includes indigenous people, the public, businesses and industries. They can have rippling environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts, which are often irreversible. Dr Beccy Ganley, Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital.
The report has also been summarised in https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/497337/invasive-species-cost-global-economy-more-than-400-billion-per-year-study-finds.
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