What the lost palms cost
The losses already suffered run to hundreds of millions of euros. They are underestimated: no figure counts the services palms provide.
Financial losses already recorded
From the Gulf to the French Riviera, every affected territory has paid in felling, treatment and lost palms.
| Territory | Loss | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean basin | Up to €483m of palms destroyed or infested, mainly by the weevil | FAO, 2017 |
| Gulf region, 2009 | $1.74–8.69m a year for felling severely infested palms alone | FAO, 2017 |
| Saudi Arabia | 613,000 infested palms; about $34m a year spent on control | Arab News, 2024 |
| France, 2006–2018 | 100,000–150,000 Canary Island date palms lost; €130–195m of felling | French National Assembly, 2019; Anses rates |
| Valencia region, 2004–2009 | About 20,000 palms dead, €16m | FAO, 2017 |
| Murcia | Over €7m spent on control | FAO, 2017 |
| Estérel Côte d'Azur, 2014–2015 | 20% of Canary Island date palms destroyed, over €2m | French National Assembly, 2016 |
| Nurseries | Over 50,000 palms dead in France (2002–2012); up to 90% of production lost in the Marche region, Italy (2003) | EPPO |
For an owner: protect or fell
Over ten years, only group injection costs less than felling, and it protects against the weevil alone.
Cost per palm over ten years, current euros. The dashed line marks the maximum cost of felling (€2,280). Sources: Anses opinion 2018, published contractor prices, collective programmes in Provence.
For a stock of 1,000 palms, treating only outbreaks detected early costs €0.10–0.29m over ten years, against €2.0–4.3m for biocontrol of every palm. Doing nothing costs €0.09–4.5m depending on losses and replanting. These rates are sensitivity assumptions, not forecasts.
The ecological cost
Beyond the tree itself, native species, wildlife and stored carbon are lost, and an insecticide toxic to bees is spread.
| Area | What is lost | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Biodiversity | Native palms: dwarf fan palm, Phoenix theophrasti, Phoenix canariensis | At Formentor (Mallorca), 435 of about 800 wild dwarf fan palms died in 8 years |
| Wildlife | Ornamental palms host 216 invertebrate families and 62 bird species (south-east Spain) | Not measured in France |
| Soils | The dwarf fan palm holds soil in arid areas | Erosion risk flagged by EFSA |
| Treatments | Injected emamectin is highly toxic to bees and aquatic invertebrates | About 15 kg of active substance a year in Provence |
| Carbon | CO₂ stored in a mature palm, plus emissions from felling and replacement | 0.5–5.5 t CO₂e per palm lost, worth €90–1,000 |
| Waste | Infested trunk and fronds, to be shredded or incinerated | 1–9 t per palm felled |
| Heritage | Avenues, listed sites, the identity of the coast | At least €5,000 per Canary Island date palm, €500–750m for the palms lost in France |
Carbon and waste figures are estimates, as no weighing has been published; the range spans a factor of 10.
