Specialist shooters in NSW culled over 400 feral cats in the past year to protect native wildlife. Conservationists say the effort is necessary but emphasize it’s not a complete solution. #WildlifeConservation #FeralCats #NSW #Biodiversity #Conservation #invasivespecies
Scientists Create Gene-Edited "Peter Pan" Cane Toads to Curb Invasive Species in Australia
Australian researchers are turning to bioengineering to tackle the invasive cane toad crisis. A new gene-edited "Peter Pan" toad, designed to stay juvenile and never mature, could help control the species by preying on its own siblings.
Plans are underway to release these modified toads into the wild, where they’re expected to limit population growth from within. While counterintuitive, this self-limiting approach aims to disrupt the relentless spread of the pests without introducing new toxins or predators.
#Bioengineering #InvasiveSpecies #Conservation #ScienceNews #Australia
Scientists create 'Peter Pan' cane toad that never grows up
By Peter de Kruijff
By removing a gene to stunt cane toads at their tadpole stage, scientists hope they may have found a way to make the invader kill its own species.
Had to purchase my first house sparrow trap today. They're bullying a robin for his nest! 
Anyone have ideas on humane euthanasia besides freezing? These buggers must go unfortunately, they will kill a song bird for their nest.
#Nature #naturalist #birds #HouseSparrows #InvasiveSpecies
Humans constantly change and even destroy #ecosystems - what happens then? It's called 'novel ecosystems'. "They now exist as self-sustaining systems. These are wild but changed ecosystems. They have passed some critical threshold which means they are unlikely to ever go back to how they were before." #Hawaii has become a laboratory for #ecologists to study such "freakosystems": https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250403-the-new-hawaiian-freakosystem-emerging-on-oahu-accidentally-created-by-humans
Weeds - "We need to go and make sure you can't buy them anymore."
The ecological damage already caused by weeds that had 'escaped' household gardens was tiny compared to the potential threat posed by plants sold at gardening retailers.
"We've introduced so many plants into Australia now that, when you go for a walk in your local bush, one in eight of the plant species you see there have been introduced. At least three-quarters of weeds established in the Australian environment have come from escaped garden plants, according to a 2004 report by biosecurity strategist John Virtue."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-06/garden-stores-selling-plants-that-could-be-next-invasive-weeds/105128092
#plants #flora #weeds #gardens #culture #BushDumping #dumping #horticulture #industry #markets #regulation #Bellingen #InvasiveSpecies #NSW
Human-made ecosystems: Ecological novelty is now the "new normal" for our planet
"30-40% of the world's terrestrial ecosystems have already transformed into novel states."
"O'ahu as an "amazing crystal ball" that offers a glimpse of the future of our planet if humans continue to damage environments and drive species to extinction."
"Hawaii's O'ahu's lowland forests are now almost entirely devoid of the plants and animals that grew here for millions of years before the arrival of humans. Settlers brought extinctions by cutting down trees to make farms and introducing voracious predators and disease-carrying animals. Today, these tropical forests are a tapestry of non-native species introduced from every corner of the planet: Brazilian peppertree, Indonesian cinnamon and roseleaf bramble from the Himalayas and Australia. Most of the animals, including all the birds that Tarwater mentioned earlier, are also alien."
"We like to think of O'ahu as the cautionary tale for all the other Pacific Islands and the Hawaiian Islands. It's what you don't want to have happen – Corey Tarwater"
>>
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250403-the-new-hawaiian-freakosystem-emerging-on-oahu-accidentally-created-by-humans
Towards a novel biosphere in 2300: rapid and extensive global and biome-wide climatic novelty in the Anthropocene
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rstb.2023.0022
#biodiversity #biosphere #ecosystems #extinction #birds #loss #InvasiveSpecies #degradation #SettlerSociety #cattle #dogs #grasses #NovelEcosystems #weeds #restoration #Pacific
When invasive species are removed, the gap can be filled by other invasive species. But controlling the seasonality and the order in which invasive species are removed can change the subsequent community composition in different ways, some of which may favor native species.
Menacing upward trend alert! 
Day 2 of #30DayChartChallenge focuses on "slope," and #spottedlanternfly observations on #iNaturalist paint a concerning picture. This #invasivespecies (#Lycormadelicatula), highlighted in my #Rstats infographic (back to Python tomorrow 
), poses a threat to our trees. Join #citizenscientists and report any sightings to help track this pest! #HitchHikerBug #DataViz #Ecology
Environmental groups work to save black ash trees from invasive beetle in northern Ontario
An environmental group in northern Ontario is working to preserve black ash trees from the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle threatening to wipe out the species.
#environment #trees #invasivespecies #northernOntario #News #Canada
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/black-ash-seeds-northern-ontario-1.7499007?cmp=rss
#AshTree Protection Collaboration Across #Wabanakik
"Ash trees, in particular brown ash (used interchangeably with black ash, Fraxinus nigra), are a cultural keystone species for Wabanaki communities and a crucial part of wetland ecosystems in the Northeast. The spread of the invasive forest pest EAB has caused 99% brown ash tree mortality in other areas of Turtle Island, and will have a considerable effect on ecosystems and traditions as it spreads through the Dawnland.
"Partners of the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik’s (APCAW) have been working for 20 years to prepare for the onset of EAB in Northeastern forests. We are committed to identifying research-informed strategies to protect the future of ash in the Dawnland that align with Wabanaki priorities. The purpose of this website is to share practical knowledge with those who seek to take actions to maintain ash on the landscape. If you’d like to receive event announcements in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here. Read on to find information about the cultural importance of ash, seed collection efforts, and emerald ash borer (EAB) management.
Why are we called the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik?
"Our name emerged from collaborative conversations about the goals of our shared work. We decided to use the word #Wabanakik to refer to the place where we are located in an effort to center Wabanaki language and ways of knowing. Wabanakik is a term with slightly different meanings in each eastern #Algonquin language, but can be understood in English to mean either 'in the location of the land which is referred to as the #Dawnland' or 'in the location of the People of the Dawn.' Wabanakik stretches from Newfoundland in the north, to mid-Maine in the south, and parts of Quebec in the west.
"APCAW members acknowledge that we are located in the homeland of the #WabanakiConfederacy, which includes the #Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Tribal Nations. Wabanakik has a ongoing legacy of #colonialism, of #StolenLand, broken treaties, forced removal and genocide of Wabanaki peoples which have fragmented Wabanaki relationships to land. The People of the Dawn maintain a sacred relationship with brown ash trees since time immemorial. APCAW’s work is to center, protect, and restore this ongoing relationship between Wabanaki peoples and ash ecosystems.
Who are we?
"The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW) is a group of Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, Tribal members, and forest caretakers working together to bring more awareness of the cultural and ecological significance of ash trees and efforts to conserve them. APCAW continues the initiative set forth by the EAB and Brown Ash Taskforce, which began in the early 2000s to facilitate the collaborative capacity of Wabanaki basketmakers, Tribal Nations, state and federal foresters, and others to prevent, detect, and respond to the EAB. APCAW gives platform to the work of a broad range of partners, including:
• University of Maine School of Forest Resources
• Tribal Nations
#MikmaqNation, Presque Isle
#HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, Houlton
#PassamaquoddyTribe at #IndianTownship
Passamaquoddy Tribe at #PleasantPoint #Sipayik
#PenobscotNation, Indian Island
• Wabanaki basketmakers and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance
• State and Federal Forestry Agencies
USDA APHIS
State of Maine Department of Agriculture & Forestry
State, Private, and Tribal Forest Service
• Conservation organizations and seed saving organizations
The #WildSeedProject
#MaineLandTrustNetwork
Learn more (includes links to resources):
https://umaine.edu/apcaw/
#Maine #MFS #EAB #EmeraldAshBorer #AshTree #AshTrees #APCAW #InvasiveSpecies #Wabanaki #ProtectTheForests #MaineNews #Maine #SaveTheTrees #WabanakiCulture #WabanakiBasketry #WabanakiTradition #Forestry #ProtectTheSacred
How to protect #AshTrees and preserve a #Wabanaki tradition
October 29, 2024
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2024
"How to help protect the brown ash tree used in Wabanaki basketry from the invasive emerald ash borer.
• Cut, buy, or burn only local firewood.
• Monitor for telltale signs of infestation.
• If you own land, know if you have brown ash.
• If your ash is healthy, contact a forester or #MaineForestService about how to keep them alive.
• Collect seed pods from healthy brown ash for replanting.
• Consider offering Wabanaki artists access to your brown ash."
Source [may be behind a paywall]:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10/29/how-to-protect-ash-trees-and-preserve-a-wabanaki-tradition/
#Maine #MFS #EAB #EmeraldAshBorer #AshTree #AshTrees #APCAW #InvasiveSpecies #Wabanaki #ProtectTheForests #MaineNews #Maine #SaveTheTrees #WabanakiCulture #WabanakiBasketry #WabanakiTradition #Forestry #ProtectTheSacred
#EmeraldAshBorer Confirmed on #MountDesertIsland
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry sent this bulletin at 04/01/2025 03:42 PM EDT
AUGUSTA, #Maine — "Maine State Forester Patty Cormier today announced that the #MaineForestService (#MFS) Forest Health and Monitoring Division has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (#EAB) on Mount Desert Island (#MDI) outside of the previously regulated area.
"A licensed professional arborist in Bar Harbor made the detection. The infested area shows signs of a well-established EAB population, with visible damage to ash trees from public roads.
"'This is an unfortunate but not entirely unexpected discovery,' said Cormier. 'We’ve known that EAB continues to spread throughout Maine, and we appreciate the vigilance of local arborists and community members. Public awareness is important to detecting and responding to this destructive forest pest.'
"As a result of this detection, the Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry will expand the current EAB quarantine to include all towns on MDI. This non-contiguous quarantine may help slow the spread.
"Key guidance for landowners, municipalities, and the public includes:
- #AshTree material should remain on MDI. Logs, branches, or wood waste from removed trees should be disposed of on-site or at an island-based disposal facility.
- Ash chips are not regulated and may be legally transported off the island.
- High-value ash trees that are not heavily infested can be evaluated and may be preserved through systemic insecticide treatment by licensed pesticide applicators. These treatments require periodic reapplication.
- Infested ash trees will decline quickly and become structurally unstable. Property owners and managers are urged to evaluate ash trees near infrastructure for potential treatment or removal.
"The MFS and collaborators, including the Ash Protection Collaboration Across #Wabanakik's (#APCAW), Sustaining Ash Partners Network (#SAPNe), and #USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service, continue to support ongoing mitigation efforts, including:
- Release of biological control organisms from federal partners by MFS through community partnerships.
- Seed collection and protection for future restoration led by APCAW.
- Education and technical support by varied partners.
- Public tree management and replanting through state and federal funding opportunities.
"'Emerald ash borer is one of the most damaging forest pests we face,' added Cormier. 'By working together—with awareness, early detection, and coordinated response—we can slow its spread and protect Maine’s forest resources.'"
Learn more:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MEDACF/bulletins/3d9a239
#InvasiveSpecies #Wabanaki #ProtectTheForests #MaineNews #Maine #SaveTheTrees #WabanakiCulture #WabanakiBasketry #WabanakiTradition #Forestry
Did I swim in an algal bloom off Playa Honda today? #Lanzarote #algalbloom #ecological #emergency #invasivespecies #tourism #canarias
“High #phylogenetic distance between non-native #species and the recipient community increases #invasion success.”
- the formal definition #invasion #scientists propose in structured format for #Darwin’s #naturalisation hypothesis.
Check out the Hypothesis Description openly published with us: https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.11.e140548
Forest forensics quiz time!: can you spot the invasive, earthworm-hunting, flatworm bipalium kewense (arrowhead flatworm) amongst the other stuff on the ground in the pic below?
Your earthworms are begging you to eliminate these jerks who can regrow a whole new guy from even a small piece of this one! But you can't put it in the salt watery slug jar if you can't see it. (Hint: they like to come out on moist mornings after it's been dry for a while...mornings just like this one!)
One of Australia's most successful pest eradication programs hangs in balance
By Christopher Testa
Scientists say land managers in Queensland's Wet Tropics are winning the war against one of the world's worst invasive ant species but fear the gains could be lost if federal funding is allowed to run out.
Weevils tackle invasive Salvinia in South Africa http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TJr9lj #Weevils #Salvinia #InvasiveSpecies #Biodiversity #FreshwaterEcosystems
An Asian hornet in Rosny-sous-Bois near Paris, France. After arriving in France in a cargo of pottery from China about 20 years ago, the species has spread rapidly across Europe. They prey aggressively on honeybees, and have been known to attack humans; several people have died after being stung by an Asian hornet.
Photograph: Geyres Christophe/Abaca/Rex/Shutterstock
#macrophotography
#AsianHornet
#InvasiveSpecies
#China
#France
