The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Topic started by: rangerrebew on August 07, 2017, 08:24:06 am
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Inside Australia’s War on Invasive Species
The island country has a long history of unique efforts to battle nonnative flora and fauna
By Erin Biba | Scientific American August 2017 Issue
The Australian government unleashed a strain of a hemorrhagic disease virus into the wild earlier this year, hoping to curb the growth of the continent's rabbit population. This move might sound barbaric, but the government estimates that the animals—brought by British colonizers in the late 18th century—gnaw through about $115 million in crops every year. And the rabbits are not the only problem. For more than a century Australians have battled waves of invasive species with many desperate measures—including introducing nonnative predators—to limited avail.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inside-australia-rsquo-s-war-on-invasive-species1/