The cost of damage caused by invasive species around the world, including to agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, is at least 10 times that of preventing or controlling them, an international study suggests.

The research, published in Science of the Total Environment earlier this month, highlights the huge economic burden of invasive species and says their prevention could save trillions of US dollars.

Invasive species are non-native species that often harm the new environment they populate. They are a threat to biodiversity, can cause degradation of ecosystems and, in some regions, threaten the lives and livelihoods of people affected.

Lead researcher Ross Cuthbert, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, said: “Once invasive species have established and are spreading, it can be difficult to eradicate them. Delayed control measures often are not only costly, but frequently are unsuccessful in the long-term.”

The research team, consisting of scientists from 17 institutions, constructed and used a global database compiling economic costs of invasive species, which enabled comparisons to be made across different scales and contexts.

They found that since 1960 the global management of invasive species has cost at least US$95 billion worldwide, while damage costs have reached at least US$1,131 billion over the same period.

Biological invasions are one of the largest threats to biodiversity, but there has been insufficient investment to reduce rates of invasion and their impacts on ecosystems and economies, he added.

The researchers found that developing countries in particular are investing little in the management of biological invasions.

According to CABI, the parent organisation of SciDev.Net which works to address environmental challenges such as invasive species, millions of the world’s most vulnerable people face problems with invasive weeds, insects, plant diseases and animals.

Investments should focus on measures such as effective biosecurity to prevent invasive species from arriving in the first place, as well as research to record new invasions, develop management measures, and understand the economic and ecosystem impacts, the researcher suggested.

The cost of damage caused by invasive species around the world, including to agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, is at least 10 times that of preventing or controlling them, an international study suggests.

The research, published in Science of the Total Environment earlier this month, highlights the huge economic burden of invasive species and says their prevention could save trillions of US dollars.

Read the full article about invasive species prevention at Eco-Business.