TREAT INVASIVE SPECIES—WITH PRAYER

BY ROSALIE E. DUNBAR, NEWS EDITOR

Say the word kudzu to someone who lives in the American South and that person might describe something resembling the city-gobbling plants of old B-grade movies. Originally used in the 1940s to control erosion in the South, kudzu can grow as much as 60 feet in a season. Similarly, the aquatic fern known as giant salvinia, also affecting the South mostly, can double in size every two to four days and cover 40 square miles in three months.

Nonnative species are an environmental concern affecting the US economy in profound ways, and these aren't the only examples. Control of alien plant and animal species and their effects costs millions of dollars annually. Nor is the US the only country affected by this problem. The poisonous cane toad, introduced in Australia to control native cane beetles, has become a major problem for that country. A 2005 international workshop on "Invasive Plants in Mediterranean Type Regions of the World," held in France, attracted 110 experts from 24 countries.

Much work to control invasive species is already underway, but as nations grow even more interconnected, it's likely this will call for even greater cooperation. Such efforts are often slowed down by political and social issues, as well as testing that may take years to complete.

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