Research on Costs of INNs Impacts

Description

1. Overview of Requirement 1.1 Background Invasive non-native species (INNS) are one of the top threats to global biodiversity, cost the British economy around £2 billion a year, and can harm human health and interfere with our way of life. While terrestrial invasive non-native species are a serious issue, aquatic non-native species are particularly invasive and, once established, can be impossible to eradicate and extremely costly to manage. A 2016 report estimated the cost of INNS to the UK water industry as at least £7.5 million per annum, a figure expected to rise as increasing numbers of invasive species arrive in the country. This report provided a series of recommended measures for water companies to reduce the impacts of INNS, covering prevention, management, control and eradication. Following this report, the water industry has implemented measures to limit future costs, maintain services, and help protect the environmen