Says Prof. Bela Galil, a senior marine biologist who works as a researcher and curator at the Steinhardt Museum of Nature at Tel Aviv University. In addition, she was one of the three main authors of the chapter on "Effects of biological invasions on nature, nature's contribution to humanity and a good quality of life" in the report Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and System Services (IPBES) International
A new international report of Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and System Services (IPBES) points to the increasing danger of invasive species to biodiversity worldwide. Prof. Bela Galil from Tel Aviv University, one of the authors of the report, explains its main findings and their implications for Israel.
The report, which was based on a research effort of over 80 scientists over about 3.5 years, found that invasive alien species are responsible for 60% of the world's plant extinctions. The annual economic damage from them is estimated at over 400 billion dollars.
Today there are over 37 foreign species recorded in the world, and this number is growing at the rate of about 200 new species every year. More than 3,500 of them are invasive species that cause direct damage to nature and humans.
According to the report, invasive species are one of the five main causes of species extinction, along with overexploitation, climate change and pollution. However, future invasions can be prevented through strict enforcement of controls on the importation of alien species. Also, there is a need for efficient government bodies that will locate invasive species at an early stage and take measures to eradicate them.
One of the most prominent examples in Israel is the small fire ant, which arrived in a shipment of wood to the factory and quickly established itself in moist habitats. The ant causes acute allergic reactions and even life-threatening bites. Although it was known as a dangerous species back in the 90s, no measures were taken to stop its spread. If they had identified it early and smoked the shipment of wood, they might have prevented its extensive establishment in Israel.
Invasive bird species such as the minnow and the tern also cause a lot of damage. The species, which were initially imported as ornamental birds, crowd out and expel local species and damage their nests and chicks. Sparrows enter Israel on purpose as pets, and since their escape into the wild they multiply rapidly and damage both agricultural crops and other bird species. These cases show that there is a need for closer supervision of the importation of foreign species for ornamental and pet purposes.
Many invasive fish species also arrived on Israel's shores from the east, through the Suez Canal. A notable example is the poisonous Asian pogo fish, which has caused many hospitalizations. The Suez Canal is an important transition axis for the migration of species from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. During its 150 years of existence, it was expanded and deepened several times, in order to allow the passage of larger ships. These changes allowed the passage of larger volumes of water, as well as of many associated species from the Red Sea. Further expansion of the canal after a ship jammed in the canal which caused it to be blocked for many days is expected to further increase the movement of species to the western Mediterranean such as the migrating wireworm, and increase the threat to biodiversity in Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.
Most of the foreign species have been documented since the 70s, with the increased awareness of the danger and in the case of the eastern Mediterranean from the reopening of the Suez Canal following the peace agreement with Egypt. The situation is expected to worsen with the continued increased use of natural resources and climate change. The state auditor's report from 2022 points to the failure of the government ministries in dealing with the threat, and calls for the implementation of the auditor's recommendations to prevent future damage to both nature and the economy and the quality of life in Israel.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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The article assumes that nature is a static thing, and that there is one point in time that is its "correct" state. This is a religious view of nature that is opposed to science, which understands nature as a continuous process of change. The goal is correct: to maintain maximum biological diversity, but the solution is not to fight against invasive species but to make sure that the process is caring, so that the local animals have the opportunity to change and adapt to the change. Ultimately, animals that are better suited to the current environment will survive. This is evolution. Every animal on the planet belongs to a species that was an "invader" at some point and eliminated the species that competed with it. Is the existence of the sparrow and the minnow less moral than other birds that immigrated to Israel in the XNUMXs or last century? And who decides? The moral bureaucratic urge to regulate even nature scares me much more than the fear of having too many beautiful green parrots on the trees. Leave it to me and don't convince me that a government office is needed to fight them. Thanks.
And what if the kind of invaders of people from Eastern Europe and Africa to Israel are a danger to the country
Make sure that they are kosher and open the Meina and Derera restaurant
The oldest and most dangerous invasive species for the environment is man. He was credited with many exploits that characterize invasive species such as the destruction of other species of animals such as other homo species, large animals such as the mammoth, many species of plants and birds and countless others.
The instructions were brought by Alexander the Great in his travels
The whole bird cherishes the human failure
It is a natural process that causes changes and there is no point in fighting them because it is doomed in advance to failure.
The best way is to prevent them from breeding by using biological processes.