E-commerce can spread invasive alien plants
Globally, e-commerce plays a large role in buying and selling plant species for ornamental purposes. China is now the largest e-commerce market globally with online retail transactions forecast to reach 3.56 trillion USD by 2024. Non-native plant species are traded in online market places which can act as a pathway for spread of invasive alien plants. A list of 811 non-native plant species was compiled for China in which the species included represent the invasion continuum: 193 transient species, 275 established species and 343 invasive species. The online availability of these 811 species was assessed by searching Jingdong and Taobao, two of the biggest e-commerce platforms in China. Among the 3 invasion categories, the availability of invasive and established non-native species was significantly higher than that of the transient non-native species. Out of the 343 recognized invasives, 117 (34 %) were offered for sale. Some invasive species available for sale are species that can have serious economic and ecological impacts (e.g. Lantana camara and Robinia pseudoacacia). The three families that had the most species being traded were Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae. The study showed that non-native species were offered for sale in 5 different propagule types (dried plants, fresh plants, seed, seedlings and roots), seeds had a higher availability and price in the online marketplaces. The current study also reviewed the existing phytosanitary regulations in China and concluded they are inadequate in managing e-commerce of non-native plant species. To address this issue, a standardized risk assessment framework that considers perceptions of stakeholders and can be adapted/updated based on continuous surveillance of the trade network could be implemented. This could provide a template to strengthen trading regulations for non-native plant species and take proactive management measures.
Sources
Banerjee AK, Lee TM, Feng H, Liang X, Lin Y, Wang J, Yin M, Peng H, Huang Y (2023) Implications for biological invasions of non-native plants for sale in the world’s largest online market. Conservation Biology (early view). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14055