{"id":52149,"date":"2025-08-25T19:28:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=52149"},"modified":"2025-08-26T18:45:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T13:15:24","slug":"cost-dealing-invasive-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/cost-dealing-invasive-species","title":{"rendered":"Cost of Dealing with Invasive Species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment &amp; Biodiversity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to a recent study published in <strong>Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution<\/strong>, invasive non-native plants and animals have inflicted more than <strong>$2.2 trillion in damages worldwide<\/strong> since 1960, and found that the true costs may be <strong>16 times higher<\/strong> than previously estimated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Invasive Alien Species (IAS)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Invasive Species <\/strong>are non-native flora and fauna that disrupt local ecosystems, including the environment, economy, or human health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Globally, <strong>plants were the most damaging invasive group<\/strong>, causing $926.38 billion in costs, followed by:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Arthropods<\/strong>: $830.29 billion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mammals<\/strong>: $263.35 billion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers emphasize that <strong>trade and travel <\/strong>are the <strong>main vectors<\/strong> for their spread.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Common invasive species in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Among the most costly to manage are <strong>Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)<\/strong> and <strong>common lantana (Lantana camara)<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In India, the MoEFCC recognizes <strong>over 154 invasive faunal species<\/strong>, spanning terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Invasive plants like <strong>Lantana camara and Senna spectabilis<\/strong> have colonized vast swathes of the Western Ghats, including critical tiger and elephant habitats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lantana alone<\/strong> has invaded <strong>over 40% of India\u2019s tiger habitats<\/strong>, threatening prey availability and altering forest dynamics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f7f8f5\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"746\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species-1024x746.png\" alt=\"Cost of Dealing with Invasive Species\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-52161\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f7f8f5; width:449px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species-1024x746.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species-768x559.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species-1536x1118.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cost-of-Dealing-with-Invasive-Species.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why the Underreporting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Study points to several systemic issues:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of centralized data systems;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limited inter-agency coordination;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Language barriers in global databases;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Competing conservation priorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Policy Responses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Several international agreements aim to curb biological invasions:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ballast Water Management Convention<\/strong>: Prevents aquatic species spread via ships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Convention on Biological Diversity<\/strong>: Obligates countries to prevent, control, or eradicate alien species threatening ecosystems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These frameworks highlight a growing recognition of invasive species as a <strong>global ecological and economic threat<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts to Curb Biological Invasions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-11-2024\/indias-updated-national-biodiversity-strategy-and-action-plan-nbsap\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-11-2024\/indias-updated-national-biodiversity-strategy-and-action-plan-nbsap\">National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)<\/a>:<\/strong> It aligns with the <strong>Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework<\/strong> and includes invasive species management as a key priority. It adopts a <strong>\u2018Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society\u2019<\/strong> approach, involving multiple union ministries and stakeholders. It emphasizes:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Restoration of degraded ecosystems;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Protection of terrestrial and marine areas;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pollution control and invasive species mitigation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community participation in biodiversity governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scientific Research and Documentation:<\/strong> The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) published a comprehensive <strong>Handbook on Invasive Species.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Needs to Change?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To address this growing threat, India needs to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Develop a national database for invasive species costs and management;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invest in early detection and rapid response systems;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote interdisciplinary research and community engagement;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrate invasive species control into climate and biodiversity policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/is-india-underestimating-the-cost-of-dealing-with-invasive-species\/article69971240.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to a recent study published in Nature Ecology &#038; Evolution, invasive non-native plants and animals have inflicted more than $2.2 trillion in damages worldwide since 1960, and found that the true costs may be 16 times higher than previously estimated.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Common invasive species in India<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Among the most costly to manage are Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and common lantana (Lantana camara).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In India, the MoEFCC recognizes over 154 invasive faunal species, spanning terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Invasive plants like Lantana camara and Senna spectabilis have colonized vast swathes of the Western Ghats, including critical tiger and elephant habitats.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Lantana alone has invaded over 40% of India\u2019s tiger habitats, threatening prey availability and altering forest dynamics.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/cost-dealing-invasive-species\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":52192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cost-dealing-invasive-species.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52149"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52238,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52149\/revisions\/52238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}