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Aussies Could Use Elephants To Fight Invasive Species

Posted by samzenpus on from the we're-gonna-need-bigger-needle-snakes dept.

A type of invasive African grass is a major cause of wildfires in Australia. The giant gamba grass is too large for cattle and the native marsupial grazers to eat, but David Bowman, a professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania has a plan. He says that elephants or rhinoceroses could eat the pest grass. "... the only other methods likely to control gamba grass involve using chemicals or physically clearing the land, which would destroy the habitat. Using mega-herbivores may ultimately be more practical and cost-effective, and it would help to conserve animals that are threatened by poaching in their native environments," he said. This plan makes you wonder just how big a Chinese needle snake can grow.

8 of 274 comments (clear)

  1. End game by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But who will eat the elephants when they become invasive?

    1. Re:End game by el3mentary · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Elephants breed so slowly their numbers would be incredibly easy to control

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    2. Re:End game by Kjella · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Eat them, I don't know... but hunt them to extinction should be no problem at all, they're not exactly small and hard to spot. The more problematic bits would be if they've brought microbes with them, upset the balance of nature some other way etc. - it's a gamble with very many variables...

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      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    3. Re:End game by Chatsubo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Poachers who care about licenses, you make me laugh.

      I live in Africa, putting a rhino on a piece of land almost transforms it into a war zone. International trade in ivory/rhino horn is a big deal, no mere legal red tape is going to stop these guys. Neither do they mind much if they have to shoot some rangers to get to the animals, and so the arms escalation begins...

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    4. Re:End game by jemtallon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But how difficult is it to rent the equipment necessary to dig a spike-filled pit? Riddle me that, mr smart-guy.

      ...yeah. That's what I thought!

      *flexes his mind muscle*

  2. Alternatives? by flyneye · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How about cutting and baling the grass? Process it for feed or fuel. Use it in lieu of paper in insulating concrete.Maybe the Aborigines can find a use for it. Once you've mown it and can access the roots, THEN whip out a jug of Roundup. What really is the problem here? Lack of imagination? Will it distill into alcohol with a bit of sugar? Is there an industrial furnace powering anything anywhere near? Are we really scared of the mean ol zombie grass slowly moving this way? I think someone just wants to be a drama queen about this....

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    1. Re:Alternatives? by robbak · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You've obviously never been to australia. Hint - it's very big.

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      Prediction for end of Universe #42: Fencepost error in Quantum_bogosort.cpp
  3. Re:And in the winter... by petermgreen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously though megafauna are relatively easy to control because they breed slowly and can't really hide. It's the small animals you have to worry about.

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