When pets become pests: the role of the exotic pet trade in producing invasive vertebrate animals

Lockwood, Julie L.; Welbourne, Dustin J.; Romagosa, Christina M.; Cassey, Phillip; Mandrak, Nicholas E.; Strecker, Angela L.; Leung, Brian; Stringham, Oliver C.; Udell, Bradley J.; Episcopio‐Sturgeon, Diane J.; Tlusty, Michael F.; Sinclair, James S.; Springborn, Michael; Pienaar, Elizabeth F.; Rhyne, Andrew L.; Keller, Reuben P.

doi:10.1002/fee.2059

Cited by 176 publications

(202 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

194

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Ornamental plants have escaped from gardens for centuries (Hanspach et al ., 2008), and ornamental horticulture continues to be a major driver of alien plant invasions (van Kleunen et al ., 2018), even in protected areas (Foxcroft, Richardson, & Wilson, 2008). The dramatic recent growth in trade of unusual pets is another growing threat (Lockwood et al ., 2019). Europe alone contains an estimated 54 million individual ornamental birds, 28 million small mammals, 14 million aquaria fishes, and nine million reptiles owned as pets; many of these species can establish outside of captivity, especially under future climate scenarios (Hulme, 2015).…”

Section: Where Do We Stand? the State Of Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists' warning on invasive alien species

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biological invasions are a global consequence of an increasingly connected world and the rise in human population size. The numbers of invasive alien species – the subset of alien species that spread widely in areas where they are not native, affecting the environment or human livelihoods – are increasing. Synergies with other global changes are exacerbating current invasions and facilitating new ones, thereby escalating the extent and impacts of invaders. Invasions have complex and often immense long‐term direct and indirect impacts. In many cases, such impacts become apparent or problematic only when invaders are well established and have large ranges. Invasive alien species break down biogeographic realms, affect native species richness and abundance, increase the risk of native species extinction, affect the genetic composition of native populations, change native animal behaviour, alter phylogenetic diversity across communities, and modify trophic networks. Many invasive alien species also change ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services by altering nutrient and contaminant cycling, hydrology, habitat structure, and disturbance regimes. These biodiversity and ecosystem impacts are accelerating and will increase further in the future. Scientific evidence has identified policy strategies to reduce future invasions, but these strategies are often insufficiently implemented. For some nations, notably Australia and New Zealand, biosecurity has become a national priority. There have been long‐term successes, such as eradication of rats and cats on increasingly large islands and biological control of weeds across continental areas. However, in many countries, invasions receive little attention. Improved international cooperation is crucial to reduce the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human livelihoods. Countries can strengthen their biosecurity regulations to implement and enforce more effective management strategies that should also address other global changes that interact with invasions.

show abstract

Section: Where Do We Stand? the State Of Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists' warning on invasive alien species

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another important dimension of these impacts is the massive economic losses suffered by our societies (e.g. consumption of crops 7 , degradation of infrastructures 8 , decreasing business activities 9 , loss of income 10 ). Management efforts aimed at prevention, control and eradication of invaders represent additional, often substantial expenditures for human societies [11][12][13] .…”

Section: Background and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

InvaCost, a public database of the economic costs of biological invasions worldwide

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biological invasions are responsible for tremendous impacts globally, including huge economic losses and management expenditures. Efficiently mitigating this major driver of global change requires the improvement of public awareness and policy regarding its substantial impacts on our socio-ecosystems. One option to contribute to this overall objective is to inform people on the economic costs linked to these impacts; however, until now, a reliable synthesis of invasion costs has never been produced at a global scale. Here, we introduce InvaCost as the most up-to-date, comprehensive, harmonised and robust compilation and description of economic cost estimates associated with biological invasions worldwide. We have developed a systematic, standardised methodology to collect information from peer-reviewed articles and grey literature, while ensuring data validity and method repeatability for further transparent inputs. Our manuscript presents the methodology and tools used to build and populate this living and publicly available database. InvaCost provides an essential basis (2419 cost estimates currently compiled) for worldwide research, management efforts and, ultimately, for data-driven and evidence-based policymaking.

show abstract

“…As is the case for other types of wildlife trade, the trade in exotic pets can be legal, illegal, or a combination of both, depending on how a species is classified as it moves throughout the market chain [20]. Trade in live animals poses a risk to global human health regardless of legality, because pathogens transported on host organisms can be circulated regardless of legal conditions [12].…”

Section: Global Wildlife Tradementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We acknowledge that records of legal wildlife trade are not without fault. Fraudulent activity, inadequate record keeping, and the misidentification and mislabeling of species have all been attributed to accusations for wild animals traded globally [20].…”

Section: Global Wildlife Tradementioning

confidence: 99%

Risky Business: Live Non-CITES Wildlife UK Imports and the Potential for Infectious Diseases

Green¹,

Coulthard

Norrey

et al. 2020

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

International wildlife trade is recognised as a major transmission pathway for the movement of pathogenic organisms around the world. The UK is an active consumer of non-native live wild animals and is therefore subject to the risks posed by pathogen pollution from imported wildlife. Here, we characterise a key yet overlooked portion of the UK wildlife import market. We evaluate the trade in live non-CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) wild terrestrial animals entering the UK over a 5-year period using data reported by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Between 2014 and 2018, over 48 million individual animals, across five taxonomic classes and 24 taxonomic orders, were imported into the UK from 90 countries across nine global regions. The largest volumes of wild animals were imported from North America and Asia, and most of the import records were from Europe and Africa. Excluding Columbiformes (pigeons) and Galliformes (‘game birds’), amphibians were the most imported taxonomic class (73%), followed by reptiles (17%), mammals (4%), birds (3%), and arachnids (<1%). The records described herein provide insight into the scope and scale of non-CITES listed wildlife imported in to the UK. We describe the potential for pathogen pollution from these vast and varied wildlife imports and highlight the potential threats they pose to public health. We also draw attention to the lack of detail in the UK wildlife import records, which limits its ability to help prevent and manage introduced infectious diseases. We recommend that improved record keeping and reporting could prove beneficial in this regard.

show abstract

When pets become pests: the role of the exotic pet trade in producing invasive vertebrate animals

Cited by 176 publications

References 50 publications

Scientists' warning on invasive alien species

Scientists' warning on invasive alien species

InvaCost, a public database of the economic costs of biological invasions worldwide

Risky Business: Live Non-CITES Wildlife UK Imports and the Potential for Infectious Diseases

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About