Invasive species: prevention and control are key to effective biosecurity

By Antonio Lara, coordinator of the Biological Invasions Laboratory, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity IEB-UdeC

Biodiversity loss is no longer a future threat, but a reality with growing ecological, economic, and social consequences. The most recent IPBES report - Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - identifies invasive alien species (IAS) as one of the five direct drivers of global biodiversity loss.

More than 37,000 alien species have been introduced through human activities, of which around 3,500 generate significant negative impacts. Invasive alien species have contributed to 60% of recorded global plant and animal extinctions, being the sole cause in about 16% of them. But invasive species not only affect natural ecosystems; they also harm the economy and reduce people's quality of life. In 2019 alone, global economic costs associated with these invasions exceeded US$423 billion annually, a figure that has quadrupled per decade since 1970.

Chile is no exception to this global threat. From the beaver in sub-Antarctic forests to the mink, the wild boar, invasive plants, and numerous forest pathogens, IAS affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, compromising biodiversity conservation, water supply, productivity, and multiple economic activities.

They are present in almost all of the country's ecosystems: Pacific coasts, rivers, lakes, temperate forests, arid zones, the Andes mountain range, and Antarctica. In 2017, it was estimated that Chile loses at least US$87 million annually due to the presence of seven species (the beaver, the rabbit, the wild boar, the mink, the yellowjacket wasp, the blackberry, and the broom), and that without control actions, losses would exceed US$2 billion within two decades. These costs are clearly a small part of the damage caused by the more than 1,000 feral alien species in Chile.

Although Chile still lacks a consolidated estimate of the economic costs generated by invasive alien species, international evidence shows that preventing new invasions is considerably more efficient and less costly than attempting to control them once established.

The management of invasive alien species can no longer be understood solely as an environmental challenge. This is how various calls have emerged to adopt a comprehensive biosecurity approach. This must be based on a development policy, territorial resilience, and ecological security. Its success will depend on coordinated action among the State, the productive sector, local communities, indigenous peoples, academia, and citizens. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response remain the most cost-effective tools to protect the natural heritage on which our well-being depends.