Invasive animals are spreading in many parts of the world at breakneck speed. Their harm is worse than pollution because it is uncontrollable and causes unspeakable damage once they are released into the environment.
>>>The devastation of foreign animals
Sugarcane (Australia) - omnivores and no enemies in nature - Photo: scienceblogs.com
Scary examples
Seabirds live in Gough Island (England), the South Atlantic Ocean has no enemies. But now they are being attacked by super-large mice, three times larger than normal mouse sizes. Landing on Gough Island about 150 years ago through whaling ships, they quickly evolved into the world's largest giant rat species today and transformed from rodents to aggressive predators. seagull.
On the island recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the " rat kingdom " has a population of up to 700,000 that are attacking and threatening to extinction the world's most rare birds.
At the end of September, a group of animal protection activists secretly sneaked into a mink farming farm near Ardara, southwest of Donegal (Ireland) releasing 5,000 weasels. It is thought that this is a clever way to oppose the killing of fur animals and record achievements for the ' International Year of Biodiversity ', but this act seriously threatens the environment and ecosystems in the region.
Environmentalists are worried about the occurrence of an environmental disaster in Donegal when the release of American weasels is dubbed the " killer fox " that occurs during the breeding season of salmon in the Owenea and Glen rivers. near. This species will be the hunting target of fierce ferrets.
Australia is the continent most affected by invasive species. According to Guardian, 90 invasive plant species are likely to be sold in many places in Australia, while 210 exotic ornamental fishes can be smuggled. Sales of ornamental fish in Australia have a turnover of 350 million USD / year. The concern is that many new fish species have escaped and invaded the river system, seriously reducing the amount of indigenous fish and populations of amphibians, as well as competing food sources and slaughtering the species of cobia. place to survive.
Sugarcane is another environmental pest, living heavily in the tropics. It is omnivorous and no animal tries to ' meat ' it and survives. Gold ants (also known as crazy ants) on Christmas Island are similar: ' eating ' animals live on their way. They also destroy tropical forests by making large-scale nesting on trees.
Terrible cost, incalculable damage
According to the report of the British Government, invasive species consume 2 billion pounds a year. But the most frightening thing is that the native ecosystem cannot be reborn once it has been invaded by these species. With the rat killing of Gough Island alone, there was a proposal to hire a helicopter to drop thousands of tons of rat baits. It is expected that this will consume at least 2.6 million pounds but it is unlikely to succeed.
As for mink, the Irish Government is under pressure to close the remaining five mink farms in the country. Ireland is the only country in the world that continues to bring this small fox to nature, unintentionally or intentionally, but the country is only a small part of the global ' game ' that feeds fur. 2/3 of mink farming in the world and 70% of raising foxes are concentrated in other countries of the European Union (EU).
The natural disaster risk of 6,000 mink farms in the EU is the goal of animal protection activists. Taking into account the benefits, indeed governments will have to spend more to destroy weasels than to take care of them for their fur.
Australia seems to be " caught up " in the fight against invasive species. Although many strict laws restrict the import of ornamental fish, the Australian Government still cannot control this business. According to official statistics, of the 34 exotic species of fish that are raging in Australian waters, 22 species are thought to have invaded through the aquarium business. They are seriously threatening the continent's marine ecosystem, including coral reefs.
Rooms are even more anti
Foreign organisms are one of the biggest threats to native plants and animals. To control and minimize negative impacts will be very expensive.
In today's flat world, when trade between countries is increasingly expanding, the conditions for alien species to enter more easily by the main road or smuggling. If adapting quickly to the environment in which they invade, exotic species will thrive. The danger is that they often do not have normal enemies compared to native species, so easily become invaders.
There are also cases where alien species do not develop invasive species by early detection. But it is not possible to completely destroy this alien species because according to the laws of survival, they will find their way out in many ways.
Assassin ferrets, sugar cane toads, giant rats, crazy ants are just symbolic examples of the strange disproportionate power of mankind. Correction is often very costly and powerless. But anyway, the best way is still better than against.
The invasive alien species is currently the second threat to Earth's biodiversity, after the cause of habitat destruction. They negatively impact native flora and fauna, harming the environment and damaging the local economy. The European Environment Agency's 2009 data show that the cost of damage and control of alien species in the US is estimated at 80 billion euros / year, in Europe more than 10 billion euros / year.