Real Concerns

Invasive species are of great concern to everyone due to the wide variety of harm they can do. They can harm natural ecosystems, industries, recreational activities, and even human health.

Move the cursor over the buttons below to see some of the ways invasive species impact every day life. For a more detailed coverage of the various impacts, select Impacts from the top banner.

Invasive species can hit croplands in all areas. Insects and weeds can reduce the amount of crops grown, cost farmers billions of dollars in pest management, increase food processing time and costs. All these can drive up the costs of food.

Forests can be impacted in multiple ways depending on their use. Invasive species can increase overall fire hazards, damage forest nurseries, degrade forest ecosystems, and impair recreational activities like hiking, camping, photography, and bird-watching.

Human health can be impacted by invasive species. Insects like africanized honey bees and imported fire ants can sting and bite people, causing allergic reactions that can be deadly. There are also many plants like russian thislte and leafy spurge that are poisonous.

Zebra mussels have had a major impact on industries along the shores of the Great Lakes. The Office of Technology Assessment estimated in 1993 that power companies alone would lose $3 billion due to zebra mussels.

The main concern of the National Park Service is the habitat modifications that invasive species can trigger, which usually harms native species. Feral animals damage natural areas in many parks. Here, a hog is captured in Everglades NP.

Leafy spurge is a major threat to rangelands. In areas with 10% or greater coverage of leafy spurge, cattle will not graze due to the sap being an irritant to their digestive tract, eyes, and mouth.

Receation can be affected in many different ways depending on the activity and the invasive species. Hydrilla ruins water recreation, from swimming to boating. Musk thislte makes access to rivers difficult for anglers. Kudzu can even overrun picnic areas.

Waterways are important sources of transportation, irrigation, and recreation. Water lettuce, water hyacinth, and hydrilla are aquatic plants that can severely disrupt all of these activities by congesting rivers and lakes with thick growth.

Most exotic plants grown in gardens can not survive without human help. However, there are a few species that pose serious threats to gardens and any natural areas nearby. Kudku, purple loosetrife and japanese honeysuckle are a few of these species.