Concerns about alien creatures

Many surveys of the Association of Natural and Environmental Protection of Vietnam from 2012 to present on foreign organisms in Hanoi show that alien creatures spread in many areas of Hanoi.

What needs to be done after these surveys, according to scientists, is that there is no need to have a mechanism to tightly control the foreign creatures that are present in the country and raise the awareness of each citizen and agency. manage before importing any alien creature into Vietnam.

Home together . enter alien creatures

'For a long time, there is a very natural conception: every alien creature is useful, so many people bring them from abroad to Vietnam to raise carefree, unaware of the consequences that may cause later. - Prof. Dr. Mai Dinh Yen, vice president of Vietnam Ecology Association.

Freshwater lobster - Dangerous alien species - (Photo: provided by Professor Mai Dinh Yen)

But according to GS Yen, not only people do not understand much about alien creatures, but even managers and scientists sometimes are quite 'impartial' in importing foreign creatures from abroad. Vietnam cultivates, develops freely, leaving many valuable lessons.

Rat beaver, yellow snail, and red-eared turtles are typical examples of unfounded alien creatures.

According to GS Yen, the import of a foreign species into Vietnam, the concerned ministries must answer two issues: Firstly, it has been investigated and the results of testing whether this species is harmful or not. Secondly, who can raise, raise and how to consume the products if cultured?

'When we release the worms into the pest to prevent disease, few people expect that when the pathogenic species dies, the worms will develop strongly, uncontrollably, causing terrible consequences in the Pine forest. The story of the golden snail was even considered an 'initiative' to alleviate poverty, but it was the management agency that imported the cheerful capital, but it was also impossible to predict that the very fast reproductive rate of the snail. What harm will this cause when it spills into the field. The Ministry of Fisheries has previously said that yellow snail does not have any harm, but now everyone knows the possibility of destroying its fields to a great extent " - Prof. Yen said.

However, it is worth mentioning that in the last survey of the Association of Environmental Protection for Nature, the result of the golden snail is no longer as scary as before. Yellow snail has become a food that the market accepts at a price cheaper than conventional jackfruit.

'In fact up to this point, it can be confirmed that there is no way to destroy all the yellow snails because its dispersion range is too wide. But now Hanoi no longer has to spend money to help buy snails so that people who catch this species go to destroy it, but the yellow snail itself has been bought at a high price, sold to some restaurants. Although there has been less concern about this type of alien species, there must still be a way to limit it before it can harm plants, ' Professor Yen said.

Fear of fish cleaning tanks and water hyacinths

Emperor fish, a foreign species, is becoming a fish that accounts for 1-2% of fish production in Tri An lake - (Photo provided by Professor Mai Dinh Yen)

Hanoi's ecological environment is strongly threatened by many other alien organisms. Freshwater fish is known as a common fish in many aquariums, but now grows very fast in rivers and lakes and fish ponds.

Although this fish is caught, fishermen also drop down because they do not eat, so it grows very quickly, occupying the place of native creatures, stealing food of other organisms living in the environment.

The fish are caught in the farmers' fish ponds and eat the aquatic food that the fishermen give to 'fish'. Therefore, scientists are calculating the experiment so that the fish can be processed appropriately into edible food.

According to GS Yen, before that, fish emperor - a species of ornamental fish - did not understand by any way but from aquariums going into Tri An lake, taking place, taking indigenous fish food, reducing the fish in the lake. Currently, the emperor fish has become a fish that accounts for 1-2% of the total fish production in this lake.

Another concern about alien organisms in Hanoi is the marshy virgin tree. This riverine-growing species is a soil-damaging type, occupying land, taking away the living space of some birds, and hindering the activities of fishermen.

'It is worth mentioning that in these surveys, it is revealed the unexpected and unexpected effects of water hyacinths. Many waterways and irrigation canals of the area are obstructed by water hyacinths, waterway traffic becomes difficult. In many areas, people have to spend a lot of time, effort and costly investment to eradicate water hyacinths and clear the flow. The introduction of water in Day and Nhue rivers becomes much more expensive because of the development of water hyacinth, ' GS Yen stressed.