Biological invasions as burdens to primary economic sectors.

Abstract Many human-introduced alien species economically impact essential industries worldwide. Management prioritization and coordination efforts towards biological invasions are hampered by a lack of comprehensive quantification of costs to key economic activity sectors. Here, we quantify and predict global invasion costs to seven major sectors and unravel the introduction pathways of species causing these costs — focusing mainly on resource-based agriculture, fishery and forestry industries. From 1970 to 2020, costs reported in the InvaCost database as pertaining to Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry totaled $509 bn, $1.3 bn, and $134 bn, respectively (in 2017 United States dollars). Pathways of costly species were diverse, arising predominantly from cultural and agricultural activities, through unintentional contaminants with trade, and often impacted different sectors than those for which species were initially introduced. Costs to Agriculture were pervasive and greatest in at least 37% (n = 46/123) of the countries assessed, with the United States accumulating the greatest costs for resource-based industries ($365 bn), followed by China ($101 bn), and Australia ($36 bn). We further identified 19 countries highly economically reliant on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry that are experiencing massive economic impacts from biological invasions, especially in the Global South. Based on an extrapolation to fill cost data gaps, we estimated total global costs ranging at least from $517 − 1,400 bn for Agriculture, $5.7–6.5 bn for Fisheries, and $142–768 bn for Forestry, evidencing substantial underreporting in the Forestry sector in particular. Burgeoning global invasion costs challenge sustainable development and urge for improved management action to reduce future impacts on industry.