A call to treat ‘alien’ invasions like natural disasters
The invasion of alien species should be treated as a natural disaster, says a Canadian researcher who will be among the headliners at a national conference on preventing the spread of invasive species.
Like natural disasters, species that enter a biological niche where they have never before existed can be difficult to control and predict and can have catastrophic consequences, says Anthony Ricciardi, a professor of environmental science at McGill University.
On the East Coast of Canada, Japanese seaweed is wiping out native kelp. Dutch elm disease, known since 1945 in Canada, is spreading into Western Canada. And piranhas, native to South America, have been found in the Great Lakes. While they are not able to overwinter so far, climate change could change that.
“Every time we think we have seen the worst, there’s something else,” Ricciardi says. “You could see it as biological pollution. It should be treated with the same concern as oil spills.”
The National Invasive Species Forum, which runs in Ottawa from today through Thursday, has attracted about 100 people, from scientists to government officials and representatives from the pet industry, says Gail Wallin, co-chair of the Canadian Council on Invasive Species.
Ricciardi argues that biological invasions are a matter of “biosecurity.” Invasions cost the fishery, forestry and agricultural industries billions of dollars every year. They can even result in the extinction of native plants and animals.
The cost to the economy of alien species exceeds that of natural disasters, Ricciardi says.
“I think of it as a national security issue. But we don’t treat it that way.”
In 2004, the strategy for Canada said a preliminary review of the costs of invasive species pegged them conservatively at $13.3 million to $34.5 million annually for only 16 species.
Meanwhile, there is an unprecedented pace of introduction of alien species because of global travel. The movement of plants and animals is a natural process, but it has been hijacked by humans, Ricciardi says.
“On any given day, ships are transporting several thousand species. Travellers carry plant spores and seeds on their shoes and don’t even know it. Some species are sold as pets.”
Ricciardi said he would like to see a shift from the focus on the “monster stories” of individual species. One of the greatest dangers is that some alien species create synergies with other aliens, with disastrous consequences. As more invaders are accumulating in ecosystems, it can be expected that they will be more disruptive, he says.
For example, the synergy of zebra mussels and quagga mussels in the Great Lakes along with another invader, a small bottom-dwelling fish called the round goby, as well as bacteria, have been linked to the deaths of fish-eating birds such as loons and mergansers. Invaders that have appeared to be innocuous for many years may suddenly become dangerous due to factors such as climate change, he says.
Ricciardi urges a precautionary approach, as Australia and New Zealand have taken, and rapid federal response management. The principles that apply to disaster preparedness should also apply to invasion preparedness, he says.
“Invaders are like hidden taxes: They are invisible, but the cost doesn’t go away. The cost of prevention is minuscule compared to chronic costs.”
One of the things to be discussed at the conference is a federal database and a list of species to be shared among the provinces.
But ordinary people are part of the solution, Wallin says. Many invasive species are moved by people — from gardeners who buy ornamental plants to children who release their goldfish outside.
“When you give people the right tools, they will make the right decisions.”