The Economic Cost of Invasive and Non-Native Species in Ireland and Northern Ireland
- 10 April 2013
New report available on the the economic impact of invasive species in Ireland and Northern Ireland. You can access the report from the link below but the summary findings are:
- The current estimate of the annual cost of invasive species to the Irish economy is £161,027,307 (€202,894,406).
- The current estimate of the annual cost of invasive species to the Northern Ireland economy is £46,526,218 (€58,623,034).
- The current estimate of the combined cost of invasive species to Ireland and Northern Ireland is £207,553,528 (€261,517,445).
- The current estimate of the annual cost of invasive species to the UK economy is £1.8 billion (€2.3 billion).
- The current estimate of the annual combined UK and Ireland cost is £2 billion (€2.5 billion). This estimate is also based on the work done by Williams et al (2010) for Great Britain and the current study.
The impact of invasive species is not just an issue for biodiversity. Invasive species are known to affect key economic sectors such as agriculture, tourism and the construction sectors. However, these economic impacts are often overlooked or under-reported. There are also inherent difficulties in making cost estimates of economic impacts on which to base decisions on management and control.
While a number of studies exist on the economic impact of invasive species in other countries and regions with examples from Europe, the United States and Australia, there have been no previous attempts to estimate the costs for Ireland and Northern Ireland. This study represents the first attempt to review the economic impact of invasive species in both Ireland and Northern Ireland and the island as a whole, with the primary aim of providing an annual cost.
DOWNLOAD Report The economic cost of invasive and non-native species in Ireland and Northern Ireland John Kelly, Dave Tosh, Kathy Dale and Anthony Jackson [pdf, 1.31MB] The Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the National Parks and Wildlife Service
DOWNLOAD The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain - F. Williams, R. Eschen, A. Harris, D. Djeddour, C. Pratt, R.S. Shaw, S. Varia, J. Lamontagne-Godwin, S.E. Thomas, S.T. Murphy November 2010 [pdf, 1.43MB]
Source: Envirocentre - The Economic Cost of Invasive and Non-Native Species in Ireland and Northern Ireland