Wouter van der Weijden, Rob Leewis and Pieter Bol, Biological Globalisation: Bio-invasions and their impacts on nature, the economy and public health, Zeist, NL: KNNV Publishing, 2007.
The world is globalising, and nature is no exception. More and more plants, animals and microbes are crossing barriers and settling in new areas. The newly published Biological Globalisation is the first book to describe the impacts of such bio-invasions on nature as well as on our economy and public health. Bioglobalisation is anything but new. The Mongolian conqueror Kublai Khan, as early as the thirteenth century, was known to collect live trees on his travels and replant them in Beijing. The exotic fungus Phytophthora has threatened European potato harvests since 1846. Since then, the number of deliberate and accidental introductions of exotic species has grown rapidly. Environmental factors such as climate change also play an increasing role. The new book Biological Globalisation: Bio-invasions and their impacts on nature, the economy and public health is a thorough and informative overview of all aspects of bioglobalisation. It describes its nature and scope, as well as history, drivers and mechanisms. Using vivid examples, the book addresses which species are likely to become invasive, which bioregions are vulnerable, and whether we can – and should – try to control bio-invasions.
Separate chapters address the impacts of bioglobalisation on the environment and on our economy. It has brought major blessings to humankind, such as the interchange of crops and livestock species between the Old World and the New World after 1492. But is also has caused disasters to nature, agriculture and public health. In the US, for instance, the yearly economic damage caused by bio-invasions is estimated to be around 120 billion dollars, while even a small country such as the Netherlands suffers an annual loss of 1 to 3 billion euros. In addition, more and more invasions of exotic viruses, such as the H5N1 bird flu virus and West Nile virus, are threatening human lives worldwide.
Biological Globalisation, written by two biologists and a medical epidemiologist, is fascinating reading material for anyone interested in the interactions between our planet’s inhabitants.
See also the website: www.biologicalglobalisation.com
Wouter van der Weijden, tel. +31 (0) 345 470700, e-mail: wvanderweijden@clm.nl
Rob Leewis, tel. +31 (0) 71 3010250, e-mail: r.leewis@casema.nl
Pieter Bol +31 (0) 20 6642483, e-mail: pbol@xs4all.nl
How to order? Please contact KNNV Publishing,
PO Box 310, NL 3700 AH Zeist, Netherlands
tel. + 31 (0) 30 233 35 44, e-mail: info@knnvuitgeverij.nl