Introduction

Invasive Species Defined

What's Being Done

 National Invasive Species Information Center

Submodule 7: The Price We Pay -- Economic Impacts

Economic Impacts of Invasive Species

Interestingly, just as it is economics that promotes the entrance of invasive species into our country, it is also largely economics that drives efforts to control them. Presently, about 50,000 invasive species are established in the U.S.; the USDA estimates total costs as over $138 billion annually, including:

• Expenses such as lost agricultural production and management costs
• Monetary losses from decreased tourism and recreational revenues.

This estimate is generally believed to be low because it does not include environmental losses, such as a decline in biodiversity or human costs, and it is very difficult to assign a monetary value to these losses. In addition, it is nearly impossible to calculate the dollar value of human pain and suffering inflicted by conditions such as allergic reactions to an invasive plant, illness from viruses that cause AIDS or influenza, or injuries from bites of a fire ant.

It is commonly agreed that the most cost effective method for controlling invasive species is to prevent their introduction into the country in the first place.