By Li Hongmei
More than 500 kinds of invasive species are known to have taken root in China, of which more than 100 have caused serious damage to local ecosystems, according to an international conference on invasive species, reports the Hebei-based Yanzhao Metropolis Daily.
Invasive species refer to organisms that enter a non-native ecosystem and, lacking natural predators, proliferate and significantly disrupt its function, said Wan Fanghao, researcher at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources released a list of the 100 most threatening invasive species in the world. Fifty of them can be found in China.
Twenty invasive species that are threatening China's agriculture include Western flower thrips, silverleaf whiteflies and American serpentine leaf miners. The number of species is growing every year, Wan said.
The species seriously damage China's agriculture, international trade, ecology, animals and people, said Zhou Changyong, vice president of the Chongqing-based Southwest University. Thirteen of the species which have invaded farms and forests cause direct economic losses of 57 billion yuan (US$9.4 billion) every year.