Recently there have been a series of debt crises in economies around the world, from Greece to Argentina to the U.S.A. Unfortunately we also have a global biodiversity-debt crisis. These debt crises share one important feature in common—managers need to respond to the emergency.
Most of us have heard that climate change is likely to impact our lives in the next few decades, but in many instances the reality of climate change has not been made apparent. One of the key questions is what will happen to our national parks and the biodiversity that they conserve?
Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are a popular and valuable sport-fish for anglers. They were introduced into South Africa in 1928, and have since been widely distributed across southern Africa.
A mealybug (Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto) of southern African origin has recently been noticed in Spain where it causes severe distortions on young citrus fruit. Since the local natural enemies are ineffective in controlling the mealybug, and farmers rely on chemicals to protect their fruit.
Many invasive species provide both benefits and costs to society and the environment. These benefits include aesthetic values, but also provide resources such as timber, fuelwood, fodder and food.