Invasive species can be the bane of gardeners and local ecosystems, killing off native species as they run rampant without natural predators. But now, according to a new report by the UN, they are also costing economies around the world hundreds of billions of dollars. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
00:00Invasive species. They can be the bane of gardeners and local ecosystems, killing off native species as they run rampant without natural predators.
00:08But now, according to a new report by the UN, they are also costing economies around the world hundreds of billions of dollars.
00:15Their researchers found that there were some 37,000 invasive species, wreaking havoc on areas they were never intended to live in.
00:23These species are transported all over the planet via human activity, such as produce shipping, among others.
00:28And they are responsible for some $423 billion in economic costs related to their proliferation annually.
00:36And according to co-chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, ecologist Helen Roy, it's likely going to get much, much worse.
00:47But we also know that looking back, then these figures have been quadrupling every 10 years.
00:53And we have no reason to think that that isn't going to be happening into the future.
00:57What's more, these invasive species are also at least partly responsible for most extinctions that occur globally.
01:03With invasive species having a hand in at least 60% of all extinction cases or creatures disappearing forever.
