A new report outlines the major threats posed to nature, economies, food security and human health by invasive species.
That means animals and plants that pop up in places they shouldn't, and in New Zealand we are dangerously exposed due to our economic reliance on farming and the uniqueness of our native plants and animals.
Wasps, cats, thistles, gold clams, rats, water hyacinth, Argentine ants, the fall armyworm, and the seaweed caulerpa.
What do these species have in common? They don't belong here in Aotearoa, and they're wreaking havoc.
"It's a direct threat to our natural environment but it's way beyond just that. It threatens our economy. It threatens our food security," said Jacqueline Biggs from the University of Auckland / Waipapa Taumata Rau.
A major new global report shows more than 37,000 invasive species have been introduced by humans to new regions around the world. And that number is going up at unprecedented rates.
Invasive alien species are contributing to 60 percent of global plant and animal extinctions.
Two species - the fall armyworm and caulerpa seaweed - have grabbed headlines recently.
The fall army moth can fly 100km in a day, and its larvae can feast on 350 different types of plants.
Caulerpa, meanwhile, spreads like a mat across the sea floor and suffocates shellfish beds.
Yet experts say the threat of invasive species is underestimated.
"To some degree we have become a bit complacent in New Zealand because our biosecurity protection is working so well," said Axel Heiser, chief scientist at AgResearch.
The cost to the global economy of invasive alien species was more than $423 billion in 2019.
The cost to the primary sector in Aotearoa was $9.2 billion in 2020. Invasive weeds like thistles and gorse cost industry at least $1.7 billion a year. While the cost of production losses has gone from $1.5 billion to $4.3 billion over ten years.
"It's the livelihood of our agricultural sector really," Heiser told Newshub.
The pests can get themselves here, or be brought by ships, planes or storms.
Global warming means more frequent and bigger storms, and it's making things much worse in other ways too.
"If you look at tick-borne disease in livestock, ticks in New Zealand are not as common as in other countries but with 1 or 2 or 3C more average temperature they will become widespread," said Heiser.
And our unique native flora and fauna are threatened.
"It's not just 'this thing's a pretty thing and we'll be sad to lose it', it's the fact that our Earth systems are reliant on species and the interactions for supporting us and life on Earth," said Beggs.
One of the lead authors of the report says there must be a global effort to detect species before they spread.
They suggest containing and controlling invasive species, because what happens in other places heightens the risk to us.
"It all comes down to funding to continue with good biosecurity and good research around it, with new threats coming we need new research to respond to these threats," said Heiser.
Because there's too much at stake to let our guard down.
