International research alerts about the “threat” of human displaced invasive species
- Two conclusions contained in the report are that 60% of the plants and animals that have disappeared in the world have been destroyed by foreign invasive species and will worsen the impact of the climate emergency. This is the first major research on biodiversity and measures have been proposed to governments.
A study on invasive species has been conducted by 86 researchers from 49 international states, who have warned of some “threats”. The report has been published by the Intergovernmental Platform for Scientific Policy (IPBES) on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, under the United Nations, the first to date in this size.
They conclude that humans are the main culprit and cause of the disappearance of plant and animal species: “Many human activities have allowed the displacement, fixation and expansion of invasive species.” At the same time, these invasive species are responsible for the extinction of 60 per cent of the species already extinct. The most widespread invasive species are: Plants of common aquatic hiazinto (Pontederia crassipes) and lanthanana (Lantana camara) and black rat (Rattus rattus).
Of the 37,000 foreign invasive species settled, arrived by men, 2,300 have been found in the lands of the villages of origin. Researchers have determined that they damage indigenous biodiversity by modifying ecosystems and competing or feeding on indigenous species. They remember that they're not just a local threat, they're affecting the entire planet.
Damage to nature and to humans
According to the authors, invasive species pose only a risk. Between 80% and 85% of the impact on nature and human beings is “negative”: economic, food and water security, human health and cultural identity. “Invasive species can greatly affect people most dependent on nature, including people from countries of origin,” they stress. They estimate that this damage leaves annual expenditure of EUR 400bn, a figure that has multiplied since the 1970s.
The climate is expected to worsen the effects of the emergency and damage will be increased, inter alia, because of invasive plants fires will be more frequent and severe, according to the report. However, they have determined that the problems promoted by humans can be solved by humans, and that prevention is the best and most cost-effective, “but also elimination, maintenance and control are effective in specific contexts”. Those opposed to “eradicating” certain animals have been reminded: “The non-control of a species such as the hippopotamus or the rat implies the death of other species.” They propose a number of measures to governments and they recall examples of successful countries.
