In France as elsewhere, new exotic species are coming to populate our cities and countryside. A sometimes dangerous cohabitation for local biodiversity, sometimes even for humans. This phenomenon, which has tended to accelerate in recent years, is a real danger, reveals the JDD. Each department “inherits” an average of twelve new species every ten years, according to specialists. In total, 2,400 species would have appeared in France.
If these exotic species have always traveled, globalization has accelerated the process and multiplied the problems.
To fully understand the problem, let’s take the example of Halyomorpha halys, known as the diabolical bug. About the size of a thumbnail, it arrived from Asia, on cars, transported by ship to reach Australia, the United States and then Europe. It is now present throughout the territory. If it is not dangerous for the human being, it constitutes a real threat for agriculture. “The bug causes great damage in orchards,” says Jean-Claude Streito, research engineer at Inrae. “It attacks apples, pears, kiwis and hazelnuts by stinging them. This necroses the fruits, which become unsaleable. Italy was particularly affected. In France, the sectors are worried. »
The solution to counter this insect would be to introduce another exotic species. The Trissolcus japonicus is also called the samurai wasp. By laying its eggs in those of the bug, it allows the species to be regulated naturally, the other solutions not being efficient enough. Scientists assure that they do not constitute a danger for French orchards, the authorities have also given their agreement. The risk of bites is low and the insect, already present in some border countries, will arrive, one day or another, on our territory.
There are plenty of such examples. Midges vectors of a hemorrhagic virus potentially fatal for livestock in Europe arrived by the Mediterranean, electric ants with an irritating and allergenic bite arrived from South America, Asian gudgeon carriers of a fatal pathogen for other fish…
Some cases are more impressive, like these 2-meter-long Burmese pythons that proliferate in Florida, so much so that hunts are organized to regulate them. These reptiles wreak havoc in the ecosystem, feeding on birds, small mammals or deer. Others are more amazing. Arriving in Britain and Italy, the gray squirrel consumes the buds, seeds and bark to the detriment of the red squirrel, the historic species. The first can even carry a deadly virus for the second, so that it is in decline, even in danger of extinction in Europe.
In order to better control the various exotic species, the Agiir application was launched, allowing everyone to report when they see one. Because in addition to the health dangers (dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika virus with the tiger mosquito, for example), these invaders are expensive. According to a CNRS study, at the global level, the financial losses caused by these species amounted to 1.208 billion dollars for the period 1980-2019. Over the past twenty-five years, France alone has spent some 9 billion euros to counter these environmental, health and agricultural threats.
