Predicting the global economic costs of biological invasions by tetrapods

Thomas Bodey (), Ross Cuthbert, Christophe Diagne, Clara Marino (), Anna Turbelin (), Elena Angulo, Jean Fantle-Lepczyk, Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Franck Courchamp () and Emma Hudgins
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Thomas Bodey: School of Biological Sciences [Aberdeen] - University of Aberdeen
Ross Cuthbert: School of Biological Sciences [Belfast] - QUB - Queen's University [Belfast]
Christophe Diagne: UMR CBGP - Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD [Occitanie] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Clara Marino: ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CESAB - Centre de Synthèse et d’Analyse sur la Biodiversité - FRB - Fondation pour la recherche sur la Biodiversité
Anna Turbelin: GLFC - Great Lakes Forestry Centre - NRCan - Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service - CFS (CANADA)
Elena Angulo: EBD - Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas [España] = Spanish National Research Council [Spain]
Jean Fantle-Lepczyk: AU - Auburn University, Forest Economics and Policy, School of Forestry and Wildlife Science - AU - Auburn University
Daniel Pincheira-Donoso: School of Biological Sciences [Belfast] - QUB - Queen's University [Belfast]
Franck Courchamp: ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Emma Hudgins: University of Melbourne, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Carleton University - Department of Biology [Ottawa] - Carleton University

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Abstract: Highlights: • Global economic costs of invasive tetrapods conservatively sum to >US$55 billion. • Costs are predicted by species traits — longevity, female maturation age, diet and invasion pathway. • Directionality of predictions can differ between ecto- and endothermic invaders. • Significant discrepancies exist between databases documenting ecological and economic impacts. • Profiling of life history traits can help to identify and mitigate future costs. Abstract: Globalisation has accelerated rates of biological invasions worldwide, leading to widespread environmental perturbations that often translate into rapidly expanding socio-economic costs. Although such monetary costs can be estimated from the observed effects of invasions, the pathways that lead invasive species to become economically impactful remain poorly understood. Here, we implement the first global-scale test of the hypothesis that adaptive traits that influence demographic resilience predict economic costs, using invasive terrestrial vertebrates as models given their well-catalogued impacts and characteristics. Our results reveal that total global costs of invasive tetrapods are conservatively in the tens of billions of dollars, with the vast majority due to damage costs from invasive mammals. These monetary impacts are predicted by longevity, female maturation age, diet and invasion pathway traits, although the directionality in the association between impacts and these drivers varied across classes. Alarmingly, costs remain unknown for >90 % of recorded established alien tetrapods worldwide, and across the majority of invaded countries. These huge socio-economic costs demonstrate the necessity of mitigating tetrapod invasions and filling knowledge gaps. Effective identification of traits predictive of costs among and within these groups can facilitate the prioritisation of resources to efficiently target the most damaging existing and emerging invasive tetrapod species.

Keywords: Amphibian; Bird; Mammal; Monetary impact; Reptile; Ecological trait profiling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-02-14
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04963316v1
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Published in Science of the Total Environment, 2025, 967, pp.178425. ⟨10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178425⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04963316

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178425

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