Non-native species cost 'British economy £1.7bn'

[MacAdder]

Non-native species cost 'British economy £1.7bn'
Invasive non-native species such as the grey squirrel and Japanese knotweed cost the British economy £1.7bn a year, a report has suggested.
Researchers said crops, ecosystems and livelihoods could be damaged when such species took hold.
The study found that the rabbit was the most economically damaging species, followed by Japanese knotweed.
The research was conducted for Defra, the Scottish government and the Welsh Assembly Government.
'Significant impact'
The cost was significantly higher at £1.3bn in England where invasive non-native species have become more established.
The price was put at £251m in Scotland and £133m in Wales.
The cost to British agriculture and horticulture was £1bn alone, according to the research carried out by international scientific organisation Cabi.
Other damaging species included the rat, the house mouse and the mink, and plants such as the rhododendron and giant hogweed.
Defra Minister Richard Benyon said: "Invasive non-native species have a significant impact on the British economy and damage our own wildlife.
"The costs of controlling these species will rise unless society takes steps to prevent them taking hold and spreading."
'Serious threat'
He added: "It becomes increasingly difficult and costly to control invasive non-native species as they become more established.
"Taking early action may seem expensive, but this report shows that it is the most effective approach, saving money in the long run and helping our native wildlife to thrive."
Scottish Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: "We all know about the serious threat to our native wildlife from invasive non-native species, and this report confirms the huge cost to businesses and individuals in Great Britain every year."
Welsh Environment Minister Jane Davidson said the assembly government was "committed to protecting and enhancing our biodiversity and to understanding its relationship with, and impact on, our economy".
15 December 2010 Last updated at 00:33 GMT

BBC News - Non-native species cost 'British economy £1.7bn'

[infernalis]

We have invasive hogweed near me.

I know a kid who chopped down some doing landscaping work, and he got sap on his skin, to make it worse it was a hot sunny day and the lad was running mowers with just a pair of shorts on and no shirt.

the sap splattered all over the place, those blisters were nasty looking.

[red ink]

Cost of invasive species Bufo marinus in Australia

Localised population extinction of Northern Quoll in infested teritory

90% drop in population of V. panoptes in infested area. Recent survey showing 100% mortality of 9 tracked V. panoptes within a year of Bufo marinus infestation of teritory

80% drop in population of V. mertensi in Bufo marinus infected teritory

70% drop in V. mitchelli population in Bufo marinus infested teritory

45% drop in localised teritory population of Crocadylus johnsoni in Bufo marinus infested teritory

Un-balanced eco-system in Bufo-marinus teritory, long term effects unknown as apex predators decrease in population in affected teritories.

[infernalis]

Recent studies in the US have shown survivability in large pythons to be much further north than originally believed.

Not good publicity for our passions here, but they now figure that these snakes can survive and breed well north of Florida.

The stats on that will be interesting in years to come.

[presspirate]

Originally Posted by infernalis

Recent studies in the US have shown survivability in large pythons to be much further north than originally believed.

Not good publicity for our passions here, but they now figure that these snakes can survive and breed well north of Florida.

The stats on that will be interesting in years to come.

I forget what I was watching, but one program suggested the the majority of the pythons in Florida was a result of Hurricane Andrew I believe. A holding/quarantine facility which housed imported animals was destroyed, and thousands of snakes were released into the ecosystem. I'm not sure of the validity of that claim.

[Nafun]

It boggles me that after 6000+ years of intentionally spreading invasive species, we've become concerned about their spread. I'm not saying they're a good thing, they're a bad thing. However, every single cultivated crop and farm raised animal is an invasive species somewhere. The culling of wild horses is considered abominable in places like the US and Australia, but they're invasive species in both places. Heck, we're an invasive species. Given enough time, an invasive species just becomes part of the ecosystem.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Nafun

It boggles me that after 6000+ years of intentionally spreading invasive species, we've become concerned about their spread. I'm not saying they're a good thing, they're a bad thing. However, every single cultivated crop and farm raised animal is an invasive species somewhere. The culling of wild horses is considered abominable in places like the US and Australia, but they're invasive species in both places. Heck, we're an invasive species. Given enough time, an invasive species just becomes part of the ecosystem.

Excellent point.

We are the most invasive species on the planet, always showing up where we don't belong.

We are the only invasive species that invades land, air & water!

[Damion930]

I think its messed up that nobody seems concerned about the effect it has on the system when we kill all the preditors wolves started growing in population in the northern US and ppl freaked killem killem but a snake kills some bird in the swamp and the environmentals lose it its funny how they like to pic and chose what belongs and what dosent

[infernalis]

Another fine point, But the hard facts remain.. Man has introduced these species. There's an African rat species that is out of control. They are devastating.

Some animals are transported for pet trade, some for food, some by accident, regardless of the reason, new critters that have no predators become the instant top of the food chain.

Killer bees from South America (a genetic blunder to the 10th order) were created and then invaded.

There should be NO picking and choosing. But man will never stop transporting foreign animals or stop splicing genes anytime soon.

Seems like we would have learned by now.

[Damion930]

even without us moving them around nature has Ben doing it all on its own since it all began its always seemed a little off to me that we have this idea that it all needs to stay the same species come and go some live some die I'm not saying that we don't have a large impact on nature because we do I see it all the time in my job but its always shifting and changing and adjusting but I also follow a philosophy that everything in this world happens because its ment to if we like it or not

[percey39]

Valid points to all, but introduced species often will adapt to their new environment quite quickly. As red ink has said we are only now just realising how far the cane toad can move and survive. This species has the potential to to eliminate a lot of species purely through injestion of these animals. They are making their into areas where wild populations are not known for sure but some estimates say we will lose species for good if not taken care of completely in the next 2-4 years.
The cane toad was bought here to attempt to eliminate the cane beetle, now we have realised that the toad is a bigger problem than the beetles.

[MacAdder]

I think in the movie the matrix it describes it well.
“Humans are not mammals but in fact a virus. They populate and area and instead of co-existing with other life destroy everything. The only way for this species to survive is to move to another area and then to another etc.”

[Reptile_Reptile]

mac the same can be said for any other species. there are just more of us and thus we consume more. and its not like we dont co-exist with some species. if there were as many lions as us there probably would be any buffalo or zebra left in a area then they would move and be considered invasive too just for looking for food, am i rambling or do i make at least some sense (sorry ive had this debate with a few other people who brought that matrix stuff up)

[infernalis]

OK I'm game....

Show me any other mammal that will strip mine the land, chop down all the trees, pollute the air, taint the water and then move on to repeat it.

[Reptile_Reptile]

beaver chops down tree's... ants will burrow and destroy entire plots of land along with moles and a number of other tunneling species. idk who would be polluting aside from the occasional methane burst. and hippos and ducks and any mammal that lives in or around a source of water will pollute it especially bovine who destroy root systems and ruin natural water filtration. albeit none of it is as drastic as what we do but if there were 100,000 beavers in a forest soon enough there would be no forest. and where we are now trying to fix it animals would not.