Invasive aquatic species are a ticking time bomb: scientists

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🗞️ Driving the news: Scientists and policymakers observed during a workshop at the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES-CCMB) that invasive species, especially aquatic ones, pose a significant threat to the India’s biodiversity and economy
• They called for an urgent overarching policy to tackle this emerging crisis

🔭 The context: Invasive species, whether introduced intentionally or accidentally, have caused significant disruption to flora and fauna across India
• The impact on pristine riverine systems and local ecosystems has reached alarming levels, with species like African and American catfish and the accidental introduction of bullfrogs, spotted deers, and giant snails leading to extensive damage

🌎 Why does it matter for the planet: The disruption to native ecosystems can lead to far-reaching consequences that impact human livelihoods and the balance of nature.

⏭️ What's next: The workshop stressed the urgent need to monitor and eliminate aquatic invasive species through ground-level actions
• Protecting native biodiversity, supporting the rural economy, enhancing sustainable aquaculture, and boosting community participation in biodiversity management were identified as key strategies

💬 One quote: "We need interventions and quickly. There are also ethics in removing invasive species though biological controls are always being tried" (Karthikeyan Vasudevan, scientist at CCMB)

📈 One stat: The biological invasions have cost the country US$127 billion, and only 10 of the 330 invasive species out of the total 2,700 have been studied, indicating a significant knowledge gap and a potentially larger underlying problem

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