We pay billions for alien species

According to a new study, non-native species have cost Europe more than 116 billion euros (42 thousand billion forints) in the past 60 years, writes MTI, citing Phys.org. Rats alone caused damage of about 5.5 billion euros (two thousand billion forints) between 1960 and 2020.

An international research team looked at the costs of introducing invasive species to Europe.

The results show that non-native species caused damages of more than 116.61 billion euros in countries in the region between 1960 and 2020.

The researchers say spending has increased tenfold each decade, and the actual costs are likely to be several times that.

Data show that rats, common ragweed, hares, emerald ash scalers, and Gyrodactylus salary The worm causes the most trouble. “The rats alone have cost Europe about 5.5 billion euros over 60 years,” he said. Philip J. HobrookHe is a member of the Senckenberg Research Institute and the Museum of Natural History in Frankfurt. The expert and colleagues used information from the InvaCost database to record global values ​​of economic damage caused by non-native species.

The team first quantified the costs of invasive species in European countries and then assessed their trends. The damage caused by alien organisms between 1960 and 2020 amounted to €116.61 billion, with the highest costs occurring in the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany. Non-native animals and plants caused the greatest losses in agriculture and forestry.

Reasons for migration and introduction of invasive species include tourism, global warming, trade and transportation. Germany, for example, by its central location, has extensive trade with other countries, which facilitates the creation of non-native organisms.

According to experts, it is difficult to determine some of the costs incurred, such as damage to human health or the displacement of native species. The researchers stressed that not all invasive species cause economic damage, but the costs involved would likely be greatly underestimated. They added that in order to address the growing economic and environmental problems caused by alien species at a regional or national level, information provision and damage assessment need to be improved. Hobrooke stressed that in a globalized world, prevention and mitigation can only succeed through international cooperation.