Invasive alien species pose a global threat to nature, its contributions to people, and good quality of life, a new report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) said on Monday.
According to the report, more than 37,000 alien species have been introduced by many human activities to regions and biomes around the world, and 3,500 of these are harmful.
The report said this "underestimated and unacknowledged" threat from invasive alien species imposed a global economic cost of more than $423 billion annually in 2019.
Examples of Alien Species Attack
European shore crabs have damaged commercial shellfish beds in New England and Canada.
Caribbean false mussels have displaced clams and oysters in the Indian Ocean.
Similarly, migrating mosquito species have spread malaria, Zika, and West Nile fever to previously unaffected areas, underscoring the public health risk.
Professor Anibal Pauchard from Chile said that it would be a mistake to regard biological invasions only as someone else's problem, as these species "inflict damages vary from place to place, these are risks and challenges with global roots but very local impacts, facing people in every country, from all backgrounds and in every community – even Antarctica is being affected".