Research estimates that pre-colonisation, more than 3 million people lived in the area that is now modern-day Australia, far more than any previous estimate.
Attack of the alien invaders
Pest plants and animals leave a frightening $1.7 trillion bill.
Credit: Jason Jones Travel Photography / Getty Images
They’re one of the most damaging environmental forces on Earth. They’ve colonised pretty much every place humans have set foot on the planet. Yet you might not even know they exist.
We’re talking about alien species. Not little green extraterrestrials, but invasive plants and animals not native to an ecosystem and which become pests. They might be plants from South America, starfish from Africa, insects from Europe or birds from Asia.
Yellow crazy ants, such as these attacking a gecko, are among thousands of invasive species causing ecological and economic havoc. Credit: Dinakarr, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Debates centred on the role of recreational hunting in supporting nature conservation and local people’s livelihoods are among the most polarising in conservation today.
by The Conversation on Tuesday January 19 2021
Image by Actionvance, via Unsplash
By Corey A. Bradshaw, Daniel T. Blumstein, and Paul Ehrlich, forThe Conversation
Anyone with even a passing interest in the global environment knows all is not well. But just how bad is the situation? Our new paper shows the outlook for life on Earth is more dire than is generally understood.
[Ed. January 13, 2021] reviews more than 150 studies to produce a stark summary of the state of the natural world. We outline the likely future trends in biodiversity decline, mass extinction, climate disruption and planetary toxification. We clarify the gravity of the human predicament and provide a timely snapshot of the crises that must be addressed now.
It has never ceased to surprise me that those who profit at the expense of others are so unaware of the harm suffered by those they exploit, and are so convinced that they have a right to do the exploiting and that their profit is a proper and justifiable reward .
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