Understanding invasive species and risks to human health as the environment and climate changes

Understanding invasive species and risks to human health as the environment and climate changes

Biological invasions are a major global driver of extinctions and cost trillions of pounds in economic damages (Roy et al. 2023, IPBES), but their health effects are often overlooked. Several invasive species cause health issues, including non-native mosquitoes, plants, and microbes. Their effects are often aggravated by environmental change. The aim of this interdisciplinary studentship is to assess the public health risk of, and preparedness for, biological invasions.

 Objectives include to:

(1) Catalogue current biological invasions in Northern Ireland and synthesise evidence for their threats to public health;

(2) Forecast future biological invasion threats to health under environmental change scenarios, and identify key introduction pathways for high risk taxa;

(3) Survey awareness and gauge stakeholder prioritisations for invasive species threats across the public and environmental health sectors;

(4) Develop mitigation plans to reduce health impacts from high-risk invasive species.

 The studentship will incorporate a range of methods including systems thinking approaches, evidence syntheses, and environmental/public health modelling.

 Given the broad nature of the topic, it will be suitable for applications from a range of disciplines, for example, public health, biology, ecology, zoology, geography.

 The project has important policy and practice implications, and will be one of the first studies in Northern Ireland to assess the public health risks of biological invasions as our climate changes.

Title: Understanding invasive species and risks to human health as the environment and climate changes

Aims: To assess the public health risk of, and preparedness for, biological invasions.

 Background: Global environmental changes constitute a rapidly escalating threat to planetary health and wellbeing. Biological invasions — non-native species introduced by human activities — are a major global change that has contributed to 60% of extinctions, caused multi-trillion-pound damages, and impeded upon good quality of life (Roy et al., 2023a). The rate of biological invasions is increasing globally as human trade and transport networks intensify and diversify to erode biogeographic boundaries, with tens of thousands of invasive species already reported globally (Briski et al., 2024). Moreover, environmental changes to climate, land use, and pollutants can potentially synergise to worsen invasive species effects.

 Knowledge on the environmental and economic impacts of biological invasions has rapidly accrued in recent decades (Ahmed et al., 2023). However, there remains a paucity in understanding of the public health risks associated with invasive species, especially at national levels where management decisions are made. Biological invasions cause health risk by vectoring pathogens and parasites which cause disease, causing allergies, and through poisoning and toxicity, among other mechanisms (Roy et al., 2023b), and these effects could be aggravated by environmental changes.

 Plan of investigation:

This interdisciplinary PhD will assess the public health risk of, and preparedness for, biological invasions.

 The specific objectives are to:

(1) Catalogue current biological invasions in Northern Ireland and synthesise evidence for their threats to public health;

(2) Forecast future biological invasion threats to health under environmental change scenarios, and identify key introduction pathways for high risk taxa;

(3) Survey awareness and gauge stakeholder prioritisations for invasive species threats across the public and environmental health sectors;

(4) Develop mitigation plans to reduce health impacts from high-risk invasive species.

 The studentship will incorporate a range of methods including systems thinking approaches, evidence syntheses, and environment/public health modelling.