Watch: American bullfrog and brown tree snake cost world economy $16 billion—Study

Two species have been discovered to cause more economic harm than any other by scientists who have tallied the cost of invasive pests around the world. Since 1986, the American bullfrog and brown tree snake have cost the world $16.3 billion in damage.The invasive duo have caused ecological damage in addition to ruining farm produce and causing expensive power interruptions.

Researchers are hoping that their findings will lead to increased investment in efforts to prevent invasive species in the future.The scientists claimed in a paper published in Scientific Reports that the brown tree snake was solely to blame for $10.3 billion in damage, in part because it spread unchecked across many Pacific islands.

According to researcher Ismael Soto, the brown tree snake, or boiga irregularis, has proliferated rapidly on Pacific islands like Guam and the Marianna Islands, where the species was introduced by American forces during World War II.

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According to him, there have been moments when the snakes were so numerous that they caused power outages by slithering across electrical machinery.

The tiny Pacific island is home to more than two million brown tree snakes, with one estimate placing their density as high as 20 individuals per acre of the jungle on Guam. It is believed that island ecosystems are more susceptible to invasive species because they offer a higher threat to the extinction of native wildlife.

American bullfrog populations in Europe are out of control, necessitating ambitious and expensive management strategies. Officials have been obliged to erect pricey frog-proof fencing around known mating locations in order to stop the spread of the amphibian, which can grow up to 30cm (12 inches) in length and half a kilo (17.6oz) in weight.

The figures, which mostly originated from estimations and extrapolations rather than empirical observations, were obtained by aggregating the expenses associated with invasive species as published in peer-reviewed literature or research regarded to have high reliability.

(With inputs from agencies)

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