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INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL
In 2012, Ray Milewski and students set research plots at Pennsylvania's Tannersville Cranberry Bog. 10 years later, researchers cleared shrubs to help rare native plants return to the bogIn 2012, Ray Milewski and students established research plots at Pennsylvania’s Tannersville Cranberry Bog. A decade later, researchers cle...
Invasive tree of heaven is helping spotted lanternflies spread across US by feeding them its toxic sap; here’s why scientists are using it as a trapThe tree of heaven, an invasive species, facilitates the spread of the spotted lanternfly by providing an abundant source of plant sap. To ...
In the late 1800s, California introduced red foxes for hunting and fur farms; at Seal Beach, they drove light-footed Ridgway's rails down to just 5 pairs in 7 yearsIn the late 1800s, non-native red foxes wreaked havoc on the population of Ridgway's rails, bringing them perilously close to extinction. F...
In 1772, Benjamin Franklin sent Chinese tallow seeds to Savannah, Georgia; the government planted more along the Gulf in 1900, and the tree now covers 185,000 hectaresIn the late 1700s, a shipment of 1772 seeds sparked a significant invasion of non-native trees across southern U.S. forests. The federal pl...
In 1970s, silver carp were brought to the US for aquaculture. Now the jumping fish threaten a $20 billion Great Lakes industryInvasive silver carp are rapidly approaching the Great Lakes, raising alarm over potential ecological and economic damage. The recent detec...
In 1981, Britain wanted to eradicate the invasive coypus which escaped from fur farms and grew to roughly 200,000 in population and damaged crops and wetlands; after years of trapping Britain made them disappear from the countryBritain once had roughly 200,000 coypus after the rodents escaped from fur farms and spread across East Anglia, damaging crops and wetlands...
In 1997, couple started with 11 farms; decades later, their 67,000-acre reserve is home to more than 60 mammal speciesA South African couple’s nearly three-decade conservation effort has transformed 11 former livestock farms into a 67,000-acre wildlife rese...
In 2002, a Maryland angler caught a huge fish he had never seen before. The discovery sparked panic, inspired horror movies and the species became one of America's most notorious invasive fishA strange fish caught in a Maryland pond in 2002 soon became the center of a nationwide invasive species scare. The discovery of the northe...
In 1995, a Tasmanian fisherman found a dead carp. What followed was a four-decade operation to remove nearly 50,000 European fishA dead carp spotted in Tasmania's Lake Crescent in 1995 triggered a 28-year campaign to eradicate invasive European carp from Lake Crescent...
Burmese pythons invaded Florida’s Everglades in the 1980s; decades later, the decline in raccoon, opossum and bobcat population number is staggeringBurmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida's Everglades, have caused severe declines in native wildlife over the past several decades....
In the 1990s, a predatory flatworm was released in Samoa to control giant African snails; it later drove native island snails toward extinctionBiological control efforts introduced the New Guinea flatworm to Pacific islands. This predator began hunting native land snails, pushing t...
In 1960, Japan’s future emperor took 18 bluegills home from Chicago. Their descendants multiplied into millions and invaded Lake BiwaA significant ecological problem arose from a 1960 gift of bluegills to Japan's Crown Prince Akihito. These fish propagated swiftly, infilt...
In 1930s, Finland brought back beavers but accidentally introduced the wrong species. The mistake still affects wildlife todayDuring the 1930s, Finland's attempt to reestablish its native beaver population took a turn when North American beavers were unwittingly in...
In 1500s, Spanish explorers introduced pigs into North America. Now areas where they roam free have fewer invasive speciesAlthough wild pigs have long been viewed as destructive invasive species, recent findings reveal they also play a surprising role in curbin...
In 1917, botanist Joseph Rock introduced albizia to Hawai‘i for reforestation. Now it has infested thousands of acres in O‘ahu and eastern Hawai‘i IslandIntroduced to Hawaii in 1917 as a solution for reforestation, the Albizia tree quickly established itself as an invasive species. By 2018, ...
In 1905, Hawaii introduced mosquitofish to fight mosquitoes. More than 100 years later, the fish is threatening native wildlifeAn invasive species, mosquitofish, introduced to Hawaii in 1905 poses a significant threat to the islands' native freshwater ecosystem. The...
How a mosquitofish brought in to kill mosquito larvae became major freshwater ecosystem problemA fish introduced to Hawaii over a century ago now threatens native freshwater wildlife. The mosquitofish, brought to control mosquitoes, n...
The hidden owl war: An invasive owl is conquering ancient forests, putting the threatened northern spotted owl at even greater riskInvasive barred owls are occupying ancient forests vital for northern spotted owls. These aggressive competitors concentrate in the exact h...
In 1958, an American ornithologist found pigs devastating a remote Pacific atoll and the removal of 58 pigs was followed by a seabird increase from 650 to 137,000In 1958, an ornithologist took decisive action by removing feral pigs from Clipperton Island, leading to a remarkable recovery of seabird p...
In the early 1970s, Maui planted miconia for its spectacular purple leaves; its descendants spread across East Maui and threatened native forest watershedsIntroduced to Maui in the 1970s, Miconia calvescens, known as the velvet tree, has emerged as a significant invasive species. Its swift spr...