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Invasive Species

It may be small world after all, but that’s not always a good thing.

With today’s global economy allowing people, plants and animals to hop from country to country, comes a new problem: invasive species. Hitch-hiking among the fruits, vegetables, plants and animals that we welcome into our country are some unwanted and even unintended visitors. Unfortunately, once an invasive species takes hold, it’s hard to get rid of and the damage it can do may be irreversible.

It can also be expensive. For example, mollusks clog up the pipes of hydroelectric power stations and invasive plants that enter wetlands can reduce spawning areas for fish. In South Africa, invasive plants threaten national water security and invasive weeds reduce crop yields.

Annual economic losses due to invasive species range from $13 billion in Australia to $143 billion in the United States.

To help pay for eradication, some groups are advocating a “polluter pays” policy that charges importers of live animals and plants, as well as cargo and shipping companies that carry them, to offset the costs.

Individuals can help, too, by planting native (not invasive) species on their property, eradicating invasive species whenever they can, and by never, ever dumping an aquarium in the wild!

To read more about this story, click here.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org