Updates: Progress and regression
Grouped by year
November, 2024
COP16 is no longer in session. Please see https://dedide.info/ecosystemservices/updates/ for my notes on the outcome so far.
The top driver of decline in Australian native fish populations is invasive fish (which threaten 92% of threatened freshwater fish species)
- Troubled waters: how to stop Australia’s freshwater fish species from going extinct
- Preventing extinctions of Australian freshwater fishes: A national assessment
- Troubled waters in the land down under: Pervasive threats and high extinction risks demand urgent conservation actions to protect Australia's native freshwater fishes
A deadly fly is spreading through Central America. Experts blame illegal cattle ranching
October, 2024
Nonnative plants are a major force behind global insect invasions, study finds
An international team of researchers led by Dr. Cleo Bertelsmeier from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, argues that the global spread of nonnative plants is a key factor driving the growing number of insect invasions worldwide. The research challenges traditional assumptions about the principal causes of nonnative insect invasions.
The international COP16 biodiversity summit is being held this month in Columbia. All countries had pledged at COP15 to submit national biodiversity strategies and action plans. Target 6 on the agenda is
Mitigate or eliminate the impacts of invasive alien species, reduce the rates of establishment of invasive species by 50% by 2030
At the time of writing (four days before the summit is due to start), only 26 countries have submitted their plans. Some of the plans that have been submitted contain no mention of invasive species, even though this is regarded as a major source of biodiversity loss.
COP16: Tracking country pledges on tackling biodiversity loss
This news comes just after the release of The Living Planet report for 2024 which indicates that using an index that has tracked the fate of 35,000 populations of 5,495 species of wild vertebrates-that's animals with a spinal column, so mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish-from 1970 to the present day, over the past 50 years (1970-2020), the average size of these monitored wildlife populations has shrunk by 73%.
Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
June, 2024
A new report has been published this week in Nature, Ecology and Evolution entitled "Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable".
This report, authored by many of the experts who contributed to the IPBES March, 2024 book release, highlights the impacts of invasive alien species observed today are likely to underestimate the magnitude of future impacts.
One of the findings that stood out for me
The threats posed by invasive alien species are expected to continue to rise. Every year, approximately two hundred new alien species are now being introduced globally by human activities to regions they had not been recorded before.
Also, in June, a report examines the changing biota of arctic waters due to organisms which normally live further south being forced by warming waters to move north. This alters the makeup of the community and therefore disrupts the existing food webs.
May, 2024
Puerto Rico is suffering from an invasion of several types of boa constrictors. It sounds very much like the Brown Tree Snake disaster in Guam is being repeated.
Massive invasive snakes are on the loose and spreading in Puerto Rico Story is from 2024.
April, 2024
Cost of fire-ant outbreak in Australia could be much higher than ‘flawed’ earlier prediction, data shows This article was posted in The Guardian on the basis of data newly released by The Australian Institute.
March, 2024
IPBES has published INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES AND THEIR CONTROL, a 952 page .pdf file which brings together in one place information about the problem of invasive species
More than 37,000 established alien species, including more than 3,500 invasive alien species with documented impacts, have been recorded worldwide.
January, 2024
Article on how Queensland, Australia is coping with cane toad invasions. The toads are spreading and also evolving to suit their environments.
What is the most humane way to kill a cane toad? Scientists say it's the cool-and-freeze method
October/November, 2023
Antarctica is warming due to climate change and two native flowering plants are flourishing in the changed conditions. Previously Antarctica has not been a target for invasive species, but given the new conditions, there is concern that invasive non-native species may be transported to the region.
Global trade and human activity have increased the likelihood of non-native seeds being transported to Antarctica unintentionally. These seeds could hitch a ride on clothing, equipment, or vehicles used by researchers and tourists visiting the continent, posing a heightened risk of invasive plant species establishing themselves in Antarctica.
Antarctica’s Floral Awakening: How Climate Change is Transforming the Continent’s Ecosystem
September, 2023
5 of the most invasive species on the planet, 9 September
Contents
- Spotted lantern fly - Highlights invasion in USA
- Feral cat - Highlights invasion in Australia
- Burmese python - Highlights invasion in Florida, USA
- Guinea grass - Highlights invasion in Hawa'ii, USA, Pacific Island
- European starling -Highlights invasion in USA
My Comment
General intro followed by short information block on each case.
Despite title is focused mainly on the USA.
Invasive Alien Species Report, 4 September
Contents
The severe global threat posed by invasive alien species is underappreciated, underestimated, and often unacknowledged.
Press release for The Invasive Alien Species Assessment from IPBES
My Comment
The Summary for Policymakers (41 pages) is currently available. Report itself is not yet released. Unclear if it will be released to general public or only be available to organisations.
Other reactions
There has been a number of magazine/journal articles published lately that have been prompted by IPBES report.
Alien invaders are penetrating the borders of every country in the world. Now the full extent of the problems and potential solutions have been exposed, in a new United Nations report.
Invasive species increasing at ‘unprecedented’ rates: What you need to know
Invasive species destroy forests, ravage crops and cause extinctions – making them a growing global threat.
Species mentioned by name
- Invasive red fire ants found in Europe for the first time
- Australia’s least wanted – 8 alien species and diseases we must keep out of our island home
- Invasive species lead driver of biodiversity loss in Australia – and feral cats have biggest impact, report finds
- Plibersek declares war on feral cats as 48 species join endangered list