# Science Is Fun: From the Cost of Invasive Species to CIRAD’s Xylotheque
Welcome to *La Science s’aMuse*, the science show co-produced byUM Divergence-FM, which takes you on a journey through the Muse Laboratories archipelago. This week, Jean-Michel Salles, an economist at CEE-M, and Rodolphe Gozlan fromISEM discuss the cost of invasive species. In the second half of the show, Patrick Langbour gives us a tour of CIRAD’s wood sample collection.
And I hope this long weekend did you some good. Did you catch that faint scent? The scent of days getting longer, the sun warming up, and barbecues sizzling away. Summer, right? Soon it’ll be time for swimming, vacations, and of course: the inevitable spectacle of new tourists in Palavas fleeing the outdoor patios in a panic when, at 7 p.m. sharp, a swarm of tiger mosquitoes attacks them. Does that make you laugh? Me too. But the other story is that of the restaurant owner for whom the worst “bite” will undoubtedly be the impact of these pesky little creatures on his bottom line. And the bill might be a lot steeper than we think.
For the first time, scientists from the CNRS, the IRD, and the National Museum of Natural History have just released the most comprehensive estimate ever conducted of the costs caused by invasive alien species. And brace yourselves, because once again, the numbers are staggering: these costs are estimated to total nearly 1,300 billion dollars over a 40-year period. Their study was published in the prestigious journal *Nature* on March 31. Our guests today are co-authors of this paper. The first is with us in the studio: Jean-Michel Salles, an economist at CEE-M (Center for Environmental Economics, Montpellier). He specializes in environmental economics and the economics of biodiversity. The second is with us by phone: Rodolphe Gozlan, an ecologist atISEM (Institute of Evolutionary Sciences).
In the second half of the show, the segment “En salle des machines” takes you to CIRAD, where Patrick Langbour gives a tour of an impressive collection: the BiowooED wood library !
For more information:
- Read the CNRS press release
- Read the study: “High and rising economic costs of biological invasions worldwide.” Christophe Diagne, Boris Leroy, Anne-Charlotte Vaissière, Rodolphe E. Gozlan, David Roiz, Ivan Jarić, Jean-Michel Salles, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, and Franck Courchamp. *Nature*, March 31, 2021.
- Another article by Franck Courchamp and his colleagues: Is English the Only Language of Science?
- Press articles:
Science is Fun—you’ve got the ticket, let’s go!
Production: University of Montpellier/Divergence FM
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview and reporting: Aline Périault/Lucie Lecherbonnier
Editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Director: Bruno Bertrand
Tune in to the show “A LUM LA SCIENCE” on Divergence FM 93.9
