TY - JOUR
T1 - Massive yet grossly underestimated global costs of invasive insects
AU - Bradshaw, Corey
AU - Boris, Leroy
AU - Ballard, Celine
AU - Roiz, David
AU - Albert, Celine
AU - Fournier, Alice
AU - Barbet-Massin, Morgane
AU - Salles, Jean-Michel
AU - Simard, Frederic
AU - Courchamp, Franck
PY - 2016/10/4
Y1 - 2016/10/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84989900946&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/ncomms12986
DO - 10.1038/ncomms12986
M3 - Article
VL - 7
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
SN - 2041-1723
M1 - 12986
ER -