[APWG] Invasive alien species [including plants] on the rise worldwide

[De Angelis, Patricia]

 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature summarizes a recent
journal article:

No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide
Seebens, H. et al.
Nature Communications 8, 14435 doi: 10.1038/ncomms14435 (2017).

Invasive alien species are on the rise worldwide and their numbers show no
sign of slowing down despite global efforts to address the challenge,
according to a study published in Nature Communications by an international
team of researchers, including members of the IUCN Species Survival
Commission (SSC) Invasive Species Specialist Group. The study found that
during the last 200 years, the number of new invasive species introductions
has continuously increased worldwide, with more than a third of all first
introductions recorded between 1970 and 2014. It also found that more new
invasions are expected among all groups of species in the near future, with
the exception of mammals and fishes.

Excerpt:
"Drawing on new data including the IUCN Global Invasive Species Database
and the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, the authors
analysed more than 45,000 first records of almost 17,000 established alien
species. The results indicate a distinct increase in first records of
invasive vascular plants in the 19th century, probably as a result of the
intensification of horticulture. The rates of new introductions of other
organisms such as algae, molluscs or insects increased steeply after 1950,
most likely as a consequence of the growth of global trade."

Read more:
https://www.iucn.org/news/secretariat/201702/invasive-alien-species-rise-worldwide?dm_i=2GI3,10WJC,40EN56,300SL,1
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