Biological Invasions: Economic and Environmental Costs of Alien Plant, Animal, and Microbe Species

David Pimentel, ed.
CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL
2002, 384 pp.
$139.95, ISBN: 0-8493-0836-4

In this book, the editor assembled experts from seven countries to cover the topic of an emerging global problem—biological invasion. With increased world trade and worldwide travel by people, biological organisms are introduced into new countries and regions at a higher rate than ever before. These introductions occur either intentionally or accidentally. In their new environments, biological organisms can become invasive because of lack of natural constraints that often exist in their origin range. The non-native invasive species disrupt agriculture and forestry, alter ecosystems, transmit diseases, and interfere with fishing, shipping, and other commerce activities. The economic and environmental damage from alien plants, animals, and microbes in the United States, British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Brazil, account for more than $300 billion per year in damages and control costs.

The problem of biological invasion has been recognized for some time, but only recently has it received high attention from government agencies and researchers. This book assembles detailed information on components of the invasive species problem from six continents. It reconfirms the diverse and unpredictable roles that non-native species assume when they invade new ecosystems: destruction of vital crops and forests, major and often irreversible damages to ecosystems leading to loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and water loss. Additionally, this book includes information on the impact of microbial pathogens of humans and livestock.

The book consists of 18 chapters, organized into nine sections. The first section is an introduction, and the last section is a world overview. The seven sections in the middle cover the biological invasion problems in each of the seven countries including Australia, Brazil, British Isles, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. For each country, information is provided on the current status of biological invasion for the specific group of organisms covered. Each section (country) may have one to four chapters covering groups of organisms ranging from alien plants, alien vertebrates, alien invertebrates, and alien microbes, i.e., plant pathogens. Authors from specific countries try to illuminate how the non-native species invade new ecosystems and the subsequent environmental effects of these invading species. Wherever possible, estimates on the economic impacts of the invading species are included, although sources of such information are not well documented. Because of difficulty in quantifying the economic costs associated with invasives, such information is often scarce or simply not available. Those economic estimates that do exist are derived from government statistics and the methodology behind them is not as clear as one would expect from a scientific publication.

The book covers a wide range of invasive biological organisms including plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, and microbes that can cause plant diseases or health problems to human and livestock. The editor was successful in bringing experts together from seven countries on six continents to cover the diverse topic of bioinvasion. However, the invasive organisms in each country were not covered with the same detail. Certain groups of invasive organisms were missing because of lack of either information or expertise from that country. For Brazil and India, only alien plant pathogens were covered, whereas for Australia, New Zealand, the British Isles, and the United States, a more complete list of organisms including alien plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, and some plant pathogens were discussed. The last chapter of the book contains information on world exotic diseases that impact human health worldwide.

Given the scope of the organisms it covered, this book definitely has a much wider audience than just entomologists. After all, invasive insects are only a part of the much bigger invasive species complex that includes all biological organisms. The audience may also include botanists, weed scientists, plant pathologists, marine biologists, ecologists, and people who are interested in agriculture, forestry, and fishery in general. It will be an especially useful reference for policymakers regarding bio- and food-security and bio-contamination. This can also be a valuable reference book for extension educators to inform and educate the public on the awareness of the widespread bio-invasion.

Biological invasion will continue to be an on-going problem in the future given human population growth and its increased needs and as the frequency of international trade and travel increases. This book provides a comprehensive look at the bioinvasion problem from a worldwide perspective. It will increase the awareness and inform scientists, policymakers, and the public on the seriousness of alien species invasions. It may stimulate more interest and research on the topic, so that species extinctions and losses to the environment, economy, and public health caused by bioinvasions may be reduced. The editor is to be congratulated on successfully assembling information on invasive species problems from a global perspective, covering such a wide range of biological organisms.

Barry B. Bai
Plant Division
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Salem, Oregon

Environmental Entomology
Vol. 37, No. 1, February 2008