 , which found that the cost of invasive non-native species (INNS) has risen by 135 per cent since 2010. 'We already knew the costs were huge,' says René Eschen, senior scientist at the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) and lead author of the study. Still, the scale of the findings – which include an average of 12 new species taking root here each year – have come as something of a 'surprise', Eschen admits. The report adds that 'there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the size and nature of the economic impacts of INNS… and assessment of the costs are needed to prioritise investment in prevention, intervention and management.' Here are the 10 most damaging species currently plaguing Britain: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (ash dieback) This tree-killing fungus wasn't present in Britain at the time of the last report, yet 'all of a sudden, it has become by far the most expensive species [where damage is concerned],' Eschen explains. An Asian import that arrived in the UK in 2012, it tallies £883.5m in annual damage (close to four times the second place saboteur) via major clean-up costs around railways, roads, and other public land. The disease kills 80 per cent of trees infected, with initial signs including blackened or dead leaves, twigs and live shoots acquiring a purple tinge, and diamond-shaped lesions where older branches join the tree's trunk. There is currently no cure, but it is hoped that between one and five per cent of the UK's two billion ash trees are genetically resistant to the disease, meaning they could survive and produce dieback-resistant species in th){kind=link}
With invasive alien species now a £4bn problem in Britain, here’s what you should do if you find destructive flora or fauna on your patch
Invasive alien species are now a £4bn problem in Britain, with more than 2,000 critters and fungi killing trees en masse, causing structural damage to buildings, and prompting clean-up campaigns running into millions of pounds. The extent of the destruction has been revealed in a new report funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which found that the cost of invasive non-native species (INNS) has risen by 135 per cent since 2010.
“We already knew the costs were huge,” says Rene Eschen, senior scientist at the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) and lead author of the study.
Still, the scale of the findings – which include an average of 12 new species taking root here each year – have come as something of a “surprise”, Eschen admits. The report adds that ‘there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the size and nature of the economic impacts of INNS… and assessment of the costs are needed to prioritise investment in prevention, intervention and management.’
Here are the 10 most damaging species currently plaguing Britain: