Economic costs of invasive alien species in the Mediterranean basin

Invasive alien species (IAS) negatively impact the environment and undermine human well-being, often resulting in considerable economic costs. The Mediterranean basin is a culturally, socially and economically diverse region, harbouring many IAS that threaten economic and societal integrity in multiple ways. This paper is the first attempt to collectively quantify the reported economic costs of IAS in the Mediterranean basin, across a range of taxonomic, temporal and spatial descriptors. We identify correlates of costs from invasion damages and management expenditures among key socioeconomic variables, and determine network structures that link countries and invasive taxonomic groups. The total reported invasion costs in the Mediterranean basin amounted to $27.3 billion, or $3.6 billion when only realised costs were considered, and were found to have occurred over the last three decades. Our understanding of costs of invasions in the Mediterranean was largely limited to a few, primarily western European countries and to terrestrial ecosystems, despite the known presence of numerous high-impact aquatic invasive taxa. The vast majority of costs were attributed to damages or losses from invasions ($25.2 billion) and were mostly driven by France, Spain and to a lesser extent Italy and Libya, with significantly fewer costs attributed to management expenditure ($1.7 billion). Overall, invasion costs increased through time, with average annual costs between 1990 and 2017 estimated at $975.5 million. The lack of information from a large proportion of Mediterranean countries, reflected in the spatial and taxonomic connectivity analysis and the relationship of costs with socioeconomic variables, highlights the limits of the available data and the research effort needed to improve a collective understanding of the different facets of the costs of biological invasions. Our analysis of the reported costs associated with invasions in the Mediterranean sheds light on key knowledge gaps and provides a baseline for a Mediterranean-centric approach towards building policies and designing coordinated responses. In turn, these could help reach socially desirable outcomes and efficient use of resources invested in invasive species research and management.

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Future water-related risks and management options in the Mediterranean basin

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10570 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marianela Fader ◽

Carlo Giupponi ◽

Selmin Burak ◽

Hamouda Dakhlaoui ◽

Aristeidis Koutroulis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Change ◽

Water Use ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Demand Management ◽

Climate And Environmental Change ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Future ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

The presentation will summarize the main findings of the chapter &#8220;Water&#8221;[1] of the report &#8220;Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin &#8211; Current Situation and Risks for the Future&#8221;. This report was published in November 2020 and prepared by 190 scientists from 25 countries, who belong to the scientific network &#8220;Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change&#8221;.Water resources in the Mediterranean are scarce, unevenly distributed and often mismatching human and environmental needs. Approx. 180 million people in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries suffer from water scarcity (<1000 m3 capita-1 yr-1). The main water use is for agriculture, and more specifically on the southern and eastern rim. Water demand for both tourism and agriculture peak in summer, potentially enhancing conflicts in the future. Municipal water use is particularly constrained in the south and will likely be exacerbated in the future by demographic and migration phenomena. Northern countries face additional risks in flood prone areas where urban settlements are rapidly increasing.Climate change, in combination with demographic and socio-economic developments, has mainly negative consequences for the water cycle in the Mediterranean Basin, including reduced runoff and groundwater recharge, increased crop water requirements, increased conflicts among users, and increased risk of overexploitation and degradation. These impacts will be particularly severe for global warming higher than 2&#176;C.Adequate water supply and demand management offers some options to cope with risks. Technical solutions are available for improving water use efficiency and productivity, and increasing reuse. Seawater desalination is increasingly used as adaptation measure to reduce (potable) water scarcity in dry Mediterranean countries, despite known drawbacks in terms of environmental impacts and energy requirements. Promising solar technologies are under development, potentially reducing emissions and costs. Reuse of wastewater is a solution for agriculture and industrial activities but also recharge of aquifers. Inter-basin transfers may lead to controversies and conflicts. Construction of dams contributes to the reduction of water and energy scarcities, but with trade-offs in terms of social and environmental impacts.Overall, water demand management, which increases water use efficiency and reduces water losses, is crucial for water governance for a sustainable development. Maintaining Mediterranean diet or coming back to it on the basis of locally produced foods and reducing food wastes may save water but also carbon emissions while having nutritional and health benefits.<div> <div> [1] Fader M., Giupponi C., Burak S., Dakhlaoui H., Koutroulis A., Lange M.A., Llasat M.C., Pulido-Velazquez D., Sanz-Cobe&#241;a A. (2020): Water. In: Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin &#8211; Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report [Cramer W, Guiot J, Marini K (eds.)] Union for the Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, France, 57pp, in press. Download </div> </div>

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Analysis of Trade Flows of Ornamental Citrus Fruits and Other Rutaceae in the Mediterranean Basin and Potential for Xantomonas citri Introduction

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture10050171 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 171

Author(s):

Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽

Mariarita Cammarata ◽

Arturo Urso

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Social Impact ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Citrus Fruit ◽

Citrus Canker ◽

The European Union ◽

Basic Scenario ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

In this study, we built a basic scenario for risk assessment of the introduction of Xantomonas citri (X. citri), an agent of bacterial citrus canker, through international trade activities. According to the international phytosanitary authority European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), X. citri is currently included in the European Union A1 list (quarantine pests not present in the area) of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Therefore, at the moment, to counter the spread of X. citri, some pest-specific phytosanitary requirements are foreseen in the case of citrus fruit commercial activities. One possible introduction route is through some ornamental Rutaceae, which are widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries, where they are economically important and have a social impact on the employees involved and the related industries. To assess the risk of introducing X. citri, we distinguished the import and export territories and the type of import material, and formulated a basic hypothesis linked to the positive correlation between commercial dependence on citrus imports from countries of the Mediterranean Basin and potential risk of invasion.

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The economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil: a first assessment

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.67.59185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 349-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

José Ricardo Pires Adelino ◽

Gustavo Heringer ◽

Christophe Diagne ◽

Franck Courchamp ◽

Lucas Del Bianco Faria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Invasions ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Global Environmental Change ◽

Economic Cost ◽

Well Being ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Economic Costs ◽

Economic Sectors

Biological invasions are one of the leading causes of global environmental change and their impacts can affect biodiversity, ecosystem services, human health and the economy. Yet, the understanding on the impacts of invasive alien species is still limited and mostly related to alien species outbreaks and losses in agricultural yield, followed by the understanding of the ecological impacts on natural systems. Notably, the economic impacts of biological invasions have rarely been quantified. Brazil has at least 1214 known alien species from which 460 are recognized as invasive alien species. Still, there are no comprehensive estimates of the cost of their impact and management. Here, we aimed at filling this gap by providing a comprehensive estimate of the economic cost of biological invasions in Brazil. In order to quantify these costs for species, ecosystems and human well-being we used the InvaCost database which is the first global compilation of the economic costs of biological invasions. We found that Brazil reportedly spent a minimum of USD 105.53 billions over 35 years (1984–2019), with an average spent of USD 3.02 (± 9.8) billions per year. Furthermore, USD 104.33 billion were due to damages and losses caused by invaders, whereas only USD 1.19 billion were invested in their management (prevention, control or eradication). We also found that recorded costs were unevenly distributed across ecosystems, and socio-economic sectors, and were rarely evaluated and published. We found that the economic costs with losses and damages were substantially greater than those used for prevention, control or eradication of IAS. Since our data show costs reported in Brazil for only 16 invasive alien species, our estimates are likely a conservative minimum of the actual economic costs of biological invasions in Brazil. Taken together, they indicate that invasive alien species are an important cause of economic losses and that Brazil has mostly opted for paying for the damage incurred by biological invasions rather than investing in preventing them from happening.

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New Distributional Data of Butterflies in the Middle of the Mediterranean Basin: An Area Very Sensitive to Expected Climate Change

Dataset Papers in Science ◽

10.1155/2014/176471 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Stefano Scalercio

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Large Datasets ◽

Environmental Perturbations ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Pest Outbreaks ◽

Butterfly Fauna ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

Butterflies are known to be very sensitive to environmental changes. Species distribution is modified by climate warming with latitudinal and altitudinal range shifts, but also environmental perturbations modify abundance and species composition of communities. Changes can be detected and described when large datasets are available, but unfortunately only for few Mediterranean countries they were created. The butterfly fauna of the Mediterranean Basin is very sensitive to climate warming and there is an urgent need of large datasets to investigate and mitigate risks such as local extinctions or new pest outbreaks. The fauna of Calabria, the southernmost region of peninsular Italy, is composed also of European species having here their southern range. The aim of this dataset paper is to increase and update the knowledge of butterfly distribution in a region very sensitive to climate warming that can become an early-warning area.

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Economic impact of invasive alien species in Argentina: a first national synthesis

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.67.63208 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 329-348 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Virginia G. Duboscq-Carra ◽

Romina D. Fernandez ◽

Phillip J. Haubrock ◽

Romina D. Dimarco ◽

Elena Angulo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

National Level ◽

Economic Cost ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Costs ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Actual Distribution ◽

Terrestrial Environments

Invasive alien species (IAS) affect natural ecosystems and services fundamental to human well-being, human health and economies. However, the economic costs associated with IAS have been less studied than other impacts. This information can be particularly important for developing countries such as Argentina, where monetary resources for invasion management are scarce and economic costs are more impactful. The present study provides the first analysis of the economic cost of IAS in Argentina at the national level, using the InvaCost database (expanded with new data sources in Spanish), the first global compilation of the reported economic costs of invasions. We analyzed the temporal development of invasions costs, distinguishing costs according to the method reliability (i.e. reproducibility of the estimation methodology) and describing the economic costs of invasions by invaded environment, cost type, activity sector affected and taxonomic group of IAS. The total economic cost of IAS in Argentina between 1995 and 2019 was estimated at US$ 6,908 million. All costs were incurred and 93% were highly reliable. The recorded costs were mainly related to terrestrial environments and the agricultural sector, with lack of costs in other sectors, making it difficult to discuss the actual distribution of invasion costs in Argentina. Nevertheless, the reported costs of IAS in this country are very high and yet likely much underestimated due to important data gaps and biases in the literature. Considering that Argentina has an underdeveloped economy, costs associated with biological invasions should be taken into consideration for preventing invasions, and to achieve a more effective use of available resources.

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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF HODGKIN LYMPHOMA ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases ◽

10.4084/mjhid.2014.048 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e2014048 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Massimiliano Salati ◽

Marina Cesaretti ◽

Matteo Macchia ◽

Mufid El Mistiri ◽

Massimo Federico

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Health Resources ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Men And Women ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon neoplasm of B-cell origin with an incidence that varies significantly by age, sex, ethnicity, geographic location and socioeconomic status. This complex pattern was also found to be replicated among Mediterranean basin populations. HL incidence rates progressively decreased from industrialized European countries such as France (ASR=2.61) and Italy (ASR=2.39) to less developed nations such as Albania (ASR=1.34) and Bosnia Herzegovina (ASR=1.1). Regarding HL mortality we have found that countries with the lowest incidence rates show the highest number of deaths from this cancer and viceversa. Finally, a wide gap in terms of survival was showed across the Mediterranean basin with survival rates ranged from 82.3% and 85.1% among Italian men and women, to 53.3 % and 59.3% among Libyan men and women, respectively. Factors such as the degree of socio-economic development, the exposure to risk factors westernization-related, the availability of diagnostic practices along with different genetic susceptibilities to HL may explain its variation across Mediterranean countries. Furthermore, the lack of health resources decisively contribute to the poor prognosis recorded in less developed region. In the future, the introduction of appropriate and accessible treatment facilities along with an adequate number of clinical specialists in the treatment of HL and other cancers are warranted in order to improve the outcomes of affected patients and treat a largely curable type of cancer in disadvantaged regions.

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Gradual replacement of wild bees by honeybees in flowers of the Mediterranean Basin over the last 50 years

10.1101/828160 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos M. Herrera

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Cultivated Plants ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Long Run ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin ◽

Pollinator Declines

AbstractEvidence for pollinator declines largely originates from mid-latitude regions in North America and Europe. Geographical heterogeneity in pollinator trends combined with geographical biases in pollinator studies, can produce distorted extrapolations and limit understanding of pollinator responses to environmental changes. In contrast to the declines experienced in some well-investigated European and North American regions, honeybees seem to have increased recently in some areas of the Mediterranean Basin. Since honeybees can impact negatively on wild bees, it was hypothesized that a biome-wide alteration in bee pollinator assemblages may be underway in the Mediterranean Basin involving a reduction in the importance of wild bees as pollinators. This hypothesis was tested using published quantitative data on bee pollinators of wild and cultivated plants from studies conducted between 1963-2017 in 13 circum-Mediterranean countries. Honeybee colonies increased exponentially and wild bees were gradually replaced by honeybees in flowers of wild and cultivated plants. Proportion of wild bees at flowers quadruplicated that of honeybees at the beginning of the period, the proportions of both groups becoming roughly similar fifty years later. The Mediterranean Basin is a world biodiversity hotspot for wild bees and wild bee-pollinated plants, and the ubiquitous rise of honeybees to dominance as pollinators could in the long run undermine the diversity of plants and wild bees in the region.

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Economic costs of invasive species in Germany

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.67.59502 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 225-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Phillip J. Haubrock ◽

Ross N. Cuthbert ◽

Andrea Sundermann ◽

Christophe Diagne ◽

Marina Golivets ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

Invasive Alien Species ◽

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

American Mink ◽

National Level ◽

Well Being ◽

Published Data ◽

Economic Costs ◽

Management Actions

Invasive alien species are a well-known and pervasive threat to global biodiversity and human well-being. Despite substantial impacts of invasive alien species, quantitative syntheses of monetary costs incurred from invasions in national economies are often missing. As a consequence, adequate resource allocation for management responses to invasions has been inhibited, because cost-benefit analysis of management actions cannot be derived. To determine the economic cost of invasions in Germany, a Central European country with the 4th largest GDP in the world, we analysed published data collected from the first global assessment of economic costs of invasive alien species. Overall, economic costs were estimated at US$ 9.8 billion between 1960 and 2020, including US$ 8.9 billion in potential costs. The potential costs were mostly linked to extrapolated costs of the American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, the black cherry Prunus serotina and two mammals: the muskrat Ondatra zibethicus and the American mink Neovison vison. Observed costs were driven by a broad range of taxa and mostly associated with control-related spending and resource damages or losses. We identified a considerable increase in costs relative to previous estimates and through time. Importantly, of the 2,249 alien and 181 invasive species reported in Germany, only 28 species had recorded economic costs. Therefore, total quantifications of invasive species costs here should be seen as very conservative. Our findings highlight a distinct lack of information in the openly-accessible literature and governmental sources on invasion costs at the national level, masking the highly-probable existence of much greater costs of invasions in Germany. In addition, given that invasion rates are increasing, economic costs are expected to further increase. The evaluation and reporting of economic costs need to be improved in order to deliver a basis for effective mitigation and management of invasions on national and international economies.

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The Mediterranean Sea Basin as a Single Ecosystem: Problems and Prospects for International Cooperation

Vestnik RUDN International Relations ◽

10.22363/2313-0660-2021-21-4-625-641 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 625-641

Author(s):

Victor N. Egorov ◽

Ludmila V. Malakhova ◽

Andrey Kh. Degterev ◽

Mikhail N. Yurlov

Keyword(s):

International Cooperation ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Action Plan ◽

Agricultural Waste ◽

Oil Refining ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

The article justifies that the Mediterranean Basin in the broad sense (Mediterranean, Black, Azov and Marmara Seas) is a single ecosystem. The state of this ecosystem is affected by the rivers of this water intake basin, among them - the Nile, Tiber, Po, Rhone, Ebro, Danube, Don and others. The interconnection of the individual elements of the ecosystem is ensured through active water exchange and a sufficiently branched system of currents that turn the inland seas of the Mediterranean basin into communicating vessels. The paper analyzes the main anthropogenic factors, as well as the influence of climate changes on the ecological condition of the Mediterranean ecosystem. Within the framework of anthropogenic impact, special attention is paid to the negative impact of urbanization, the oil industry (production, transportation and oil refining), industrial and agricultural waste, as well as runoff waters. The problem of plastic, as well as contamination with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is discussed in detail. Analysis of DDT accumulations in the bottom sediments of the Mediterranean basin makes it possible to study the synchronization of anthropogenic processes and their long-term nature. Aridization (intensification of droughts) in the Mediterranean is shown as an important problem for the regional ecology, not directly related to the anthropogenic factor. The article reveals the disastrous effects of increasing droughts and climate change on Mediterranean basin countries. International cooperation to regulate transboundary environmental problems in the region is associated with a number of problems. Among them is the delimitation of sea zones between countries, first of all - the territorial claims of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. The problem of the shelf around the Serpents Island in the Black Sea is also considered, as well as territorial disputes in the Western Mediterranean (France/Spain). The paper widely presents successful cases of cross-boundary cooperation: the 1976 RAMOGE Agreement, the 1975 Mediterranean Action Plan and the 1995 Barcelona Convention, as well as its seven protocols. The cases of PEGASO and 4GreenInn projects, as well as the BSEC environmental projects, are considered as successful examples of cross-border academic cooperation. Promising areas of cooperation are outlined and the conclusion is made about the importance of transboundary environmental risk management, despite the political differences between the Mediterranean countries and the EU sanctions restrictions on Russia after 2014.

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Epidemiology of West Nile Disease in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/907852 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Daria Di Sabatino ◽

Rossana Bruno ◽

Francesca Sauro ◽

Maria Luisa Danzetta ◽

Francesca Cito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Nile Virus ◽

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Local Resident ◽

West Nile ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Lineage 2 ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Mediterranean Basin

West Nile virus (WNV) transmission has been confirmed in the last four years in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. An increasing concern towards West Nile disease (WND) has been observed due to the high number of human and animal cases reported in these areas confirming the importance of this zoonosis. A new epidemiological scenario is currently emerging: although new introductions of the virus from abroad are always possible, confirming the epidemiological role played by migratory birds, the infection endemisation in some European territories today is a reality supported by the constant reoccurrence of the same strains across years in the same geographical areas. Despite the WND reoccurrence in the Old World, the overwintering mechanisms are not well known, and the role of local resident birds or mosquitoes in this context is poorly understood. A recent new epidemiological scenario is the spread of lineage 2 strain across European and Mediterranean countries in regions where lineage 1 strain is still circulating creating favourable conditions for genetic reassortments and emergence of new strains. This paper summarizes the main epidemiological findings on WNV occurrence in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013, considering potential future spread patterns.

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