Biological invasions as burdens to primary economic sectors

Cost data on biological invasions are from the InvaCost database version 4.1 — the most up-to-date, comprehensive, standardised and robust data compilation and description of economic cost estimates associated with invasive species worldwide — available from www.invacost.fr. Diagne, C. Leroy, B., Gozlan, R., Vaissière, A.C., Assailly, C. Nuninger, L.; et al. (2020): InvaCost: Economic cost estimates associated with biological invasions worldwide. figshare. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12668570.v5.

International audience

إنجليزي. Highlights: • Invasions cost over 600 Dollars de Brunei (bn) to Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry since 1970. • Costs to agriculture were highest overall and the most prevalent among countries. • Greatest costs to primary sectors were to the USA (365 bn) and China (101 bn). • 19 countries relying heavily on primary sectors face high impacts from invasions. • Gaps in cost reporting suggest that these impacts are grossly underestimated.Abstract: Many human-introduced alien species economically impact industries worldwide. Management prioritisation and coordination efforts towards biological invasions are hampered by a lack of comprehensive quantification of costs to key economic sectors. Here, we quantify and estimate global invasion costs to seven major sectors and unravel the introduction pathways of species causing these costs - focusing mainly on primary economic sectors: agriculture, fisheries and forestry. From 1970 to 2020, costs reported in the InvaCost database as pertaining to Agriculture, Fisheries , and Forestry totaled 509 bn, 1.3 bn, and 134 bn, respectively (in 2017 United States dollars). Pathways of costly species were diverse, arising predominantly from cultural and agricultural activities, through unintentional contaminants with trade, and often impacted different sectors than those for which species were initially introduced. Costs to Agriculture were pervasive and greatest in at least 37 % (n = 46/123) of the countries assessed, with the United States accumulating the greatest costs for primary sectors (365 bn), followed by China (101 bn), and Australia (36 bn). We further identified 19 countries highly economically reliant on Agriculture , Fisheries , and Forestry that are experiencing massive economic impacts from biological invasions, especially in the Global South. Based on an extrapolation to fill cost data gaps, we estimated total global costs ranging from at least 517-1,400 bn for Agriculture , 5.7-6.5 bn for Fisheries , and 142-768 bn for Forestry , evidencing substantial underreporting in the Forestry sector in particular. Burgeoning global invasion costs challenge sustainable development and highlight the need for improved management action to reduce future impacts on industry. Significance: With rapidly rising biological invasion rates, efficient management is critical for economic and environmental impact mitigation. Specifically, improved quantification of the economic cost of biological invasions to the world 's primary economic sectors could provide crucial information for policymakers who must prioritise actions to limit ongoing and future impacts. We show that since 1970, over $600 bn in impacts has been incurred across Agriculture , Fisheries and Forestry , with the largest share reported in Agriculture . We further identify 19 countries, which rely heavily on primary sectors, facing comparatively high impacts from invasions, requiring urgent action. However, gaps in cost reporting across invasive taxa and countries suggest that these impacts are grossly underestimated. Proactive prioritisation by policymakers is needed to mitigate future impacts to primary sectors.