Spread of Alien Plant, Animal Species Predicted to Rise Globally by 2050
Asian kudzu vines smothering the southern United States. Pacific lionfish devouring Caribbean sealife. South American cane toads killing their way across Australia. As bad as invasive species are today, a study says they will get worse. Researchers predict that non-native—or alien—species introductions will increase globally by around 36 percent during the first half of the 21st century. The researchers call for better monitoring and regulations to contain the spread of alien species. The movement of plants and animals around the planet soared over the last century as human trade and travel opened new global pathways. Not all alien species are problematic, but invasive alien species—like kudzu—wreak environmental or economic havoc in their new homes. “Together with climate change and land use change, invasive…