The economic costs, management and regulation of biological invasions in the Nordic countries

• Main Authors: Kourantidou, Melina, Verbrugge, Laura N.H., Haubrock, Phillip J., Cuthbert, Ross N., Angulo, Elena, Ahonen, Inkeri, Cleary, Michelle, Falk-Andersson, Jannike, Granhag, Lena, Gíslason, Sindri, Kaiser, Brooks, Kosenius, Anna-Kaisa, Lange, Henrik, Lehtiniemi, Maiju, Magnussen, Kristin, Navrud, Ståle, Nummi, Petri, Oficialdegui, Francisco J., Ramula, Satu, Ryttäri, Terhi, von Schmalensee, Menja, Stefansson, Robert A., Diagne, Christophe, Courchamp, Franck
• Other Authors: Suomen ympäristökeskus, The Finnish Environment Institute
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier BV 2023
• Subjects: invasive species; economic impact; Nordic countries; InvaCost; vieraslajit; knowledge gaps; tulokaslajit; talous; kustannukset; taloudelliset vaikutukset; Pohjoismaat; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/352668

A collective understanding of economic impacts and in particular of monetary costs of biological invasions is lacking for the Nordic region. This paper synthesizes findings from the literature on costs of invasions in the Nordic countries together with expert elicitation. The analysis of cost data has been made possible through the InvaCost database, a globally open repository of monetary costs that allows for the use of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic descriptors facilitating a better understanding of how costs are distributed. The total reported costs of invasive species across the Nordic countries were estimated at $8.35 billion (in 2017 US$ values) with damage costs significantly outweighing management costs. Norway incurred the highest costs ($3.23 billion), followed by Denmark ($2.20 billion), Sweden ($1.45 billion), Finland ($1.11 billion) and Iceland ($25.45 million). Costs from invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. We conclude by highlighting such knowledge gaps, including gaps in policies and regulation stemming from expert judgment as well as avenues for an improved understanding of invasion costs and needs for future research. Highlights • Total reported costs of invasive species in the Nordic countries were $8.35 billion. • Costs of invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. • The majority of invasion costs in the Nordics are expected rather than realized. • Gaps in knowledge, policies and regulations for invasive species persist. • Effective policies require Interdisciplinary work and cross-country collaborations.