Assessment of economic and environmental impact of invasive plant species

This article presents data from a review of published works on the economic damage caused by invasive plant species, their ecological and economical impact, and the legal regulation of biological invasions. It is concluded that it is necessary to elaborate and adopt a national strategy on alien species, federal regulatory acts concerning the policy on invasive organisms, and general approaches and criteria to evaluate the risk of their spread. Effective control of invasive species is only possible at the rational approach, which takes into consideration individual ecological-biological features of the species, their relations with other components of the community, the properties of the ecosystem invaded by them, expenditures for their control, and the period and consequences of their eradication.