Invasive species are often described as silent invaders. They don’t arrive with the dramatic force of a hurricane or wildfire, yet their impact is just as devastating. They slip into ecosystems through trade, travel, and human activity, displacing native plants and animals, altering food webs, and spreading disease. Today, invasive species are considered one of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. The numbers tell a sobering story: more than 40% of endangered species are threatened by invasive plants, animals, or pathogens, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The crisis has reached a critical point in 2025. Some species have already been declared extinct this year, while others are hanging on by a thread. To understand the gravity of the situation, we need to look at both the global scale of invasive species and the specific examples of animals and plants lost in recent years.
What Are Invasive Species?
Invasive species are non-native organisms introduced to an environment where they cause harm to native species, ecosystems, or human livelihoods. Not all introduced species are invasive — some coexist without causing disruption. But when a new arrival outcompetes native species, reproduces quickly, and disrupts the balance of the ecosystem, it becomes invasive.
Common pathways for invasions include:
- Global trade and shipping: Organisms hitch rides in cargo, ballast water, or packaging.
- Agriculture and horticulture: Plants introduced for landscaping spread uncontrollably.
- Pet and aquarium trade: Released exotic pets (like Burmese pythons in Florida) devastate ecosystems.
- Climate change: Warmer temperatures allow non-native species to expand their ranges.
The Global Scale of the Invasive Species Problem
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported in 2023 that invasive alien species cost the global economy more than $423 billion annually in damages and losses. Beyond the economics, they’ve been a major factor in 60% of documented plant and animal extinctions.
Some of the most destructive invaders include:
- Rats and cats on islands, preying on native birds and reptiles.
- Cane toads in Australia, poisoning predators.
- Emerald ash borer in North America, devastating forests.
- Water hyacinth, choking freshwater systems in Africa and Asia.
- Pathogens like chytrid fungus, wiping out amphibian populations.
Species Declared Extinct Up to 2025
As of 2025, dozens of species have been declared extinct in the wild, with invasive species playing a significant role in many of these losses.
The Bramble Cay Melomys
In 2019, the Bramble Cay melomys — a small rodent native to a tiny island in the Torres Strait — was officially declared extinct. While climate change-driven sea level rise was the primary cause, invasive predators had already weakened its fragile population.
The Christmas Island Pipistrelle
Once common, this tiny bat from Australia’s Christmas Island disappeared in 2009, with invasive species like the yellow crazy ant disrupting its ecosystem. The official extinction confirmation came in the 2010s, but its legacy remains a warning of how quickly invasives can collapse populations.
Freshwater Mussels in North America
Several freshwater mussel species, such as the yellow lance and southern acornshell, are functionally extinct due to invasive species like zebra mussels and pollution. While some persist in isolated populations, their long-term survival remains doubtful.
Recent Confirmations (2020–2025)
Conservation groups and the IUCN have listed several species as extinct or nearly extinct in the past five years, including:
- Spix’s macaw (reintroduced in the wild, but extinct in its original range for decades).
- Yangtze giant softshell turtle (fewer than five known; invasive development pressures worsen decline).
- Ivory-billed woodpecker (declared extinct in 2021 after decades of searching).
- Cryptic treehunter and Alagoas foliage-gleaner (Brazilian birds confirmed extinct).
- Lost amphibians in Central America, wiped out by chytrid fungus and habitat loss.
By 2025, the list continues to grow — some species declared gone this year include little-known freshwater fish and invertebrates, their losses tied directly to invasive competitors and pathogens.
Invasive Species Driving Extinctions in 2025
Invasive Predators
- Feral cats and rats remain the biggest culprits on islands. For ground-nesting seabirds like puffins, petrels, and shearwaters, these predators are devastating. A single cat can kill hundreds of birds in a year.
- Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades have eliminated up to 90% of small mammals in some regions.
Invasive Plants
- Kudzu in the U.S. and lantana in Australia smother native plants, reducing biodiversity.
- Water hyacinth continues to spread across lakes and rivers, displacing native fish and aquatic plants.
Invasive Pathogens
- Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) remains one of the most destructive pathogens in history, wiping out amphibian populations worldwide.
- Chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease, introduced fungi, permanently reshaped North American forests.
Case Studies of 2025 Losses
Hawaiian Birds Under Siege
Hawaii has been ground zero for invasive species-driven extinction. This year, two honeycreeper species were declared extinct due to avian malaria carried by invasive mosquitoes. Rising temperatures allowed mosquitoes to move into higher elevations where birds once found refuge.
Freshwater Fish in Asia
Several small, endemic freshwater fish species in Southeast Asia were declared extinct in 2025 due to invasive tilapia and carp, which outcompeted them for food and habitat.
The Silent Extinction of Invertebrates
Insects and mollusks often vanish without notice. In 2025, scientists confirmed the extinction of a little-known land snail species in the Pacific, lost to predation from invasive carnivorous snails introduced decades ago.
Why Invasive Species Thrive
- Rapid reproduction: Many invasives breed quickly and in large numbers.
- Lack of predators: Without natural checks, they spread unchecked.
- Human disturbance: Logging, farming, and urbanization create openings for invasives to dominate.
- Climate shifts: Warmer, unstable environments allow new invasions.
The Human Cost of Invasive Species
This isn’t just a biodiversity issue — invasive species affect people too. Farmers lose crops to invasive weeds and pests. Fishermen lose livelihoods when invasive fish dominate waterways. Tourism declines when iconic species vanish. Public health suffers when invasive mosquitoes spread diseases like dengue or malaria.
What’s Being Done in 2025?
Eradication Campaigns
Some success stories offer hope:
- New Zealand has nearly eradicated invasive predators on several islands, allowing bird populations to rebound.
- The U.S. invests heavily in controlling invasive carp in the Great Lakes.
- Island restoration projects worldwide are targeting rats and cats with comprehensive eradication programs.
Biosecurity Measures
Stricter checks at borders, better public education, and international cooperation are reducing the accidental spread of invasive organisms.
Genetic and Technological Approaches
Researchers are experimenting with gene drives to control invasive species like mosquitoes and cane toads, though these approaches raise ethical questions.
What Can Individuals Do?
- Avoid releasing pets into the wild.
- Plant native species in gardens.
- Clean gear and boats before moving between ecosystems.
- Report sightings of invasive species.
- Support conservation organizations.
Final Thoughts
Invasive species represent one of the greatest biodiversity crises of our time. By 2025, their toll is undeniable: ecosystems degraded, species lost forever, and more than 40% of endangered species under direct threat. While humans caused the spread of invasives, humans also hold the tools to combat them — from stronger biosecurity to innovative restoration projects.
The extinctions of 2025 are a sobering reminder that once a species is gone, it is gone forever. Every loss diminishes the richness of life on Earth. But there is still time to prevent future losses if action is taken now. Awareness, responsibility, and global cooperation are the only ways forward.
Reader Interactions