What the report says
The summary for policymakers of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services was published on 4 September (Ipbes), the highest scientific authority on nature and the material and immaterial contributions that nature offers to people. The approval had taken place at the end of the 10th plenary session of the Ipbes by the 141 member countries, including Italy. The drafting of the report involved a hundred scientists from all over the world, required over four years of work and the consultation of over 12 bibliographic references. According to the IPBES report, more than 37.000 alien species have been introduced by human activities into all regions and biomes of the Earth. Some, like mosquitoes, rats, termites, have hitchhiked on globalized trade routes, bringing disease, destroying crops, and damaging buildings and furnishings. The current rate of introduction, affirmation and spread of alien species travels at a pace that is unprecedented in human history: about 200 species per year. At least 3.500 species, nearly one-tenth of total alien species, are classified as invasive aliens. The percentage of alien species known to be invasive ranges from 6% of all alien plants to 22% of all alien invertebrates. 20% of all impacts were reported on the islands.
Invasive alien species
According to an earlier IPBES report on the state and trends of global biodiversity, it stated that invasive alien species are one of the five largest direct drivers of biodiversity loss, along with habitat destruction and degradation, pollution, biological resource take-up and environmental change. climate. The three most invasive species include water hyacinth, a tropical aquatic plant native to South America, which blocks waterways and harms fisheries: lantana, a remontant shrub, and the black rat. Other examples include invasive mosquito species, such as Aedes albopictus and Aedes Egypti, which spread West Nile virus and Zika virus. The most invasive species reports were found in the Americas accounting for 34% of all reports, followed by Europe and Central Asia (31%), Asia Pacific (25%) and Africa (7%). Three-quarters of the reports concern terrestrial ecosystems, mainly temperate and boreal woodlands and forests. Few reports concern marine ecosystems, underlining the importance and priority of deepening the monitoring of the phenomenon also in these ecosystems.
The economic cost
According to the IPBES report, invasive alien species cost the world at least $423 billion each year and have become a major threat to the diversity of life on Earth. The authors found that the cost of biological invasions has increased by 400%. every decade since 1970 and is expected to continue rising in the coming years. A major concern signaled in the report is the loss of the uniqueness of living communities. As invasive alien species increase and become more invasive around the world, biological communities appear more similar, the composition, structure and functions of ecosystems and their resilience weaken. The expert assessment found that the introduction and spread of invasive alien species can be prevented and managed, that there is a wide range of options to combat the spread and impact of invasive species, one of the objectives agreed at COP15 on biodiversity last December in Montreal among the 23 global targets to be achieved by 2030. According to the Ipbes report, the awareness, commitment and development of the skills of citizens and stakeholders can provide a sustainable basis, essential for prevention and control of invasive alien species.
ISPRA database
The IPBES report argues that citizens' and stakeholders' awareness, engagement and capacity building can provide a sustainable foundation, critical for the prevention and control of invasive alien species. According to the ISPRA database, over 3.500 alien species have been identified in Italy, of which 3.363 are currently present. Many have arrived by freight or transport. Among the best-known cases, it should be mentioned that of the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a species imported from Asia into Europe, which has also found a suitable niche for its diffusion in Italy. One particularly harmful alien species is the American pond turtle (Trachemys scripta), which in the wild creates problems for a native species, the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis). The IPBES Report on Invasive Alien Species Summary for Policymakers, infographics and other illustrative materials are available here. (ISPRA source)