Landmark new research has laid bare the staggering cost of feral pests that Australia pays each year.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has released a first-of-its-kind report covering the damage done worldwide by invasive alien species – including animals, plants, and microbes.
With 143 participating countries, the total impact of invasive alien species was worth $423 billion in 2019 – and that figure is expected to quadruple every decade.
CSIRO chief research scientist for biosecurity Dr Andy Sheppard, who participated in the project, said an outsize part of that damage – nearly six per cent of the total – was suffered by Australia.
“Australia has close to 3000 invasive alien species estimated to cost Australia approximately $25 billion every year in losses to agriculture and management costs,” Sheppard said.
Australia has had some notorious tangles with invasive species, from cane toads to camels.
But Sheppard said the worst, in terms of its impact on native species and environments, was the feral cat on land, and the European carp in the rivers.
Rabbits still hold the title for most devastation wreaked on Australian agriculture, though Sheppard pointed to the national success in controlling and curtailing their numbers as a sign for how to manage other pests.
(9 NEWS)
