Massive yet grossly underestimated global costs of invasive insects

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 12986 - 8
• Main Authors: Bradshaw, Corey J. A., Leroy, Boris, Bellard, Céline, Roiz, David, Albert, Céline, Fournier, Alice, Barbet-Massin, Morgane, Salles, Jean-Michel, Simard, Frédéric, Courchamp, Franck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 04.10.2016; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158/2178; 631/601/1466; 704/172/4081; 706/1143; Animals; Biodiversity; Climate change; Conservation of Natural Resources; Cost control; Cost estimates; Crop damage; Disease; Environment; Global Health; Global warming; Health Care Costs; Health Expenditures; Human populations; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Insect Vectors; Insecta; Insects; International trade; Introduced Species; Invasive insects; Invasive species; Isoptera; Life Sciences; Models, Economic; multidisciplinary; Nonnative species; Pest Control - economics; Population density; Public awareness; Public Policy; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Termites; Los Angeles California; California; France; United States > US; Europe; Invasive species; Agriculture; Entomology; Environmental impact
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12986

Insects have presented human society with some of its greatest development challenges by spreading diseases, consuming crops and damaging infrastructure. Despite the massive human and financial toll of invasive insects, cost estimates of their impacts remain sporadic, spatially incomplete and of questionable quality. Here we compile a comprehensive database of economic costs of invasive insects. Taking all reported goods and service estimates, invasive insects cost a minimum of US$70.0 billion per year globally, while associated health costs exceed US$6.9 billion per year. Total costs rise as the number of estimate increases, although many of the worst costs have already been estimated (especially those related to human health). A lack of dedicated studies, especially for reproducible goods and service estimates, implies gross underestimation of global costs. Global warming as a consequence of climate change, rising human population densities and intensifying international trade will allow these costly insects to spread into new areas, but substantial savings could be achieved by increasing surveillance, containment and public awareness. Invasive insects impose many economic costs, for example by consuming crops and spreading disease. Here, Bradshaw et al . compile a database of the costs of invasive insects and conservatively estimate that the yearly global cost (in 2014-equivalent US dollars) is at least $70 billion for goods and services and $6.9 billion for human health.