Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees
Abstract The high ecological impacts of many invasive alien trees have been well documented. However, to date, we lacked synthesis of their economic impacts, hampering management actions. Here, we summarize the cost records of invasive trees to (I) identify invasive trees with cost information and t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35802-4 |
| _version_ | 1797811518707859456 |
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| author | Romina D. Fernandez Phillip J. Haubrock Ross N. Cuthbert Gustavo Heringer Melina Kourantidou Emma J. Hudgins Elena Angulo Christophe A. Diagne Franck Courchamp Martin A. Nuñez |
| author_facet | Romina D. Fernandez Phillip J. Haubrock Ross N. Cuthbert Gustavo Heringer Melina Kourantidou Emma J. Hudgins Elena Angulo Christophe A. Diagne Franck Courchamp Martin A. Nuñez |
| author_sort | Romina D. Fernandez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The high ecological impacts of many invasive alien trees have been well documented. However, to date, we lacked synthesis of their economic impacts, hampering management actions. Here, we summarize the cost records of invasive trees to (I) identify invasive trees with cost information and their geographic locations, (II) investigate the types of costs recorded and sectors impacted by invasive trees and (III) analyze the relationships between categories of uses of invasive trees and the invasion costs attributed to these uses. We found reliable cost records only for 72 invasive trees, accumulating a reported total cost of $19.2 billion between 1960 and 2020. Agriculture was the sector with the highest cost records due to invasive trees. Most costs were incurred as resource damages and losses ($3.5 billion). Close attention to the ornamental sector is important for reducing the economic impact of invasive trees, since most invasive trees with cost records were introduced for that use. Despite massive reported costs of invasive trees, there remain large knowledge gaps on most invasive trees, sectors, and geographic scales, indicating that the real cost is severely underestimated. This highlights the need for further concerted and widely-distributed research efforts regarding the economic impact of invasive trees. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:24:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-008398dfbda648bcb8f13d74cea7aa64 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:24:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-008398dfbda648bcb8f13d74cea7aa642023-06-04T11:25:36ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-06-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-35802-4Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien treesRomina D. Fernandez0Phillip J. Haubrock1Ross N. Cuthbert2Gustavo Heringer3Melina Kourantidou4Emma J. Hudgins5Elena Angulo6Christophe A. Diagne7Franck Courchamp8Martin A. Nuñez9Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-CONICETDepartment of River Ecology and Conservation, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum FrankfurtInstitute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University BelfastDepartment of Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Natural Sciences, Universidade Federal de Lavras - UFLADepartment of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern DenmarkDepartment of Biology, Carleton UniversityEstación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique EvolutionDepartment of Biology and Biochemistry, University of HoustonAbstract The high ecological impacts of many invasive alien trees have been well documented. However, to date, we lacked synthesis of their economic impacts, hampering management actions. Here, we summarize the cost records of invasive trees to (I) identify invasive trees with cost information and their geographic locations, (II) investigate the types of costs recorded and sectors impacted by invasive trees and (III) analyze the relationships between categories of uses of invasive trees and the invasion costs attributed to these uses. We found reliable cost records only for 72 invasive trees, accumulating a reported total cost of $19.2 billion between 1960 and 2020. Agriculture was the sector with the highest cost records due to invasive trees. Most costs were incurred as resource damages and losses ($3.5 billion). Close attention to the ornamental sector is important for reducing the economic impact of invasive trees, since most invasive trees with cost records were introduced for that use. Despite massive reported costs of invasive trees, there remain large knowledge gaps on most invasive trees, sectors, and geographic scales, indicating that the real cost is severely underestimated. This highlights the need for further concerted and widely-distributed research efforts regarding the economic impact of invasive trees.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35802-4 |
| spellingShingle | Romina D. Fernandez Phillip J. Haubrock Ross N. Cuthbert Gustavo Heringer Melina Kourantidou Emma J. Hudgins Elena Angulo Christophe A. Diagne Franck Courchamp Martin A. Nuñez Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees Scientific Reports |
| title | Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| title_full | Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| title_fullStr | Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| title_full_unstemmed | Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| title_short | Underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| title_sort | underexplored and growing economic costs of invasive alien trees |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35802-4 |
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