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According to the British Columbia Invasive Species Council, invasive species are among the greatest threats to the survival of our wildlife.
"These invaders often arrive accidentally from around the world and, in the absence of natural predators, kill, oust, or otherwise devastate native species and their ecosystems. These non-native plants and animals not only threaten to transform the wildlife, woodlands, and waterways on which Canadians depend, but they cost billions of dollars to forests, agriculture, and fishing. and other industries affected by their impact. "
We have had a problem in many of our lakes with Eurasian water-milfoil for a while.It was introduced to the United States in the 1940s as decoration in aquariums, probably thrown into a lake or pond and has spread since throughout North America.The introduction of other invasive plant species, such as the knotweed, periwinkle and flowering, not to mention the zebra mussels, also raises new concerns.The list is long
One would think that education would be integral part of prevention.However, the problem is not When wildlife biologists and other experts use terms such as "exotic," "exotic," and "invasive" to describe plant and animal species introduced into non-native environments, this can be as much a question of perspective and semantics than anything else. After all, wildlife has dispersed and redispersed around the world for millions of years. The only real difference between the so-called "historical" introduction of species and those that took place in the last two or three years is the pace and scale with which they occurred. Before human travel spread, plants and animals arrived on foreign shores mainly by chance. In some cases, they swam through the oceans, migrated across continents, drifted on the currents of air and water or hitchhiked with other travelers until they reached the sea. to that they jump into a new habitat
. and the animal species that arrive and establish themselves in an ecosystem where they have not evolved are often described as "foreign" or "exotic". Once established beyond the initial point of introduction, they are considered "naturalized" components of their new environment. A naturalized species is considered "invasive" only if it displaces native species. So-called invasive species tend to reproduce rapidly, spread rapidly and compete with native species, largely because there are usually few or no native species that can or will precede The new comers.
these so-called exotic / invasive species did not actually sit down and did not get involved in an intentional invasion of their new home and environment. They just found themselves one day there, then began to do the commonplace job of surviving and reproducing. A yellow perch does not know that it has been transported to a new lake or new stream. It does just what the species has always done.
A good example of perspective would be when humans allow cattle (a domesticated species of cattle raised to generate a monetary profit) to go further and further into woodlands called by wolves. their house. Wolves end up being predators of cattle grazing on their territory. So who is the invasive species? Waiting for wolves not to pre-exist to graze cattle in their backyard is a bit like baking a lot of chocolate cupcakes, placing them on the kitchen table to cool them down and telling them not to touch them
Perspective and / or semantics. The key is to understand how the introduction of non-native plant and animal species affects ecosystems and natural habitats – in the short and long term. We are all responsible for our own actions.
@SalmonArm
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