'Alien' plants spreading across the world causing billions in damage

5 posts / 0 new
Last post
zosterops
zosterops's picture
'Alien' plants spreading across the world causing billions in damage
Woko
Woko's picture

The $1.4 trillion are only the short term economic losses. No attempt has been made to calculate the long term losses from biodiversity losses, the cost of eradication, however desultory, & the opportunity cost of benefits forgone by not having intact ecological systems. 

Also, I really dislike the term "naturalized" which suggests that feral species have gained a proper place thus negating any motivation to eradicate them. 

GregL
GregL's picture

You may dislike the term "naturalised", I can see that it is a bit defeatist, but the reality is that many thousands of species are established around the world in places thjey have been introduced, and the prospects of eradicating them are non existant. We have changed most ecosystems permanently, and we can either learn to live with the changes in a positive way or waste our energies trying to return to a lost shangri-la.

Woko
Woko's picture

Greg, I'm not convinced that we can do nothing to stem the tide. Even on a small scale I believe it's worth the effort both in terms of restoring at least something of Shangrila bit also in keeping some vestige of the human spirit alive. Otherwise we sit & vegetate & there's far too much of that occurring right now. 

On a broad scale we can also do things although at the moment the political will is lacking. Perhaps the day will come when feral landscapes have overtaken nearly everything & our society will feel enough pain to act. It's important to keep hope alive.

jason

Our leaders view lay in a realtionship with God, not the land. The lack of careing is because they don't care.  They are off to nervana to be by their makers side in the end, so why should they care what happens on earth with the rest of the muck. Humans are supposedly what they care about because thier maker suggest so, even then it's how one twists their own prejudeces is weather they care or not. 

Only 25% of Australia in non religious I heard the other day from a religous leader.  It is of little surprise to me nature is nothing more than something of service.  The middle east is stripped bare from gaots for a reason, "it's gods will" they whale.  But these views echo in the West plain as day on the great farm lands.  Gods gift is in ubundance, and does a blind eye really matter if their is a dollar to be made.  The weeds, the ferals, are all an inconvenience but my faith as strong or vage as it is will see me through.    

I'm with you Woko, we can do somethig in our own back yard, even if it's only for your your own selfworth. A reason to get up for perhaps, and there is always hope.  I'd like to think humans can turn it around, because Nervana is here if only the leaders could see the forrest from the trees.  But the realist in me does not have to look far to see we are goners.  I feel less guilty if I see it all as evolution, ancient cultures were smart and perhaps just as dumb, they all had gods and relied on the land, we are no different.  It's gods will.          

Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks

 and   @birdsinbackyards
                 Subscribe to me on YouTube