Why Can't We Just Kill Off Invasive Species?
Invasive species destroying ecosystems are a huge problem, but there's hope that we can help mitigate the damage. Hosted by: Michael Aranda Head to ...
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[♪INTRO] Eradicating a species might sound like something that’s always bad. We put a lot of time and money into protecting life on Earth, not destroying it. But not all eradication plans target a species’ entire population — just the parts that end up in places we don’t want them to be. Invasive species can completely wreck an ecosystem, and we’ve tried all kinds of different ways to get rid of them over the years. But some of those efforts … kind of backfired. Spectacularly. Take, for example, Australia’s poster child for invasive species: the cane toad. Native to southern and central America, this toad is huge, averaging between 12 and 15 centimeters, and will eat almost anything, from carrion to insects to that bowl of cat food you left outside. They’ll also eat smaller fr...
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[♪INTRO] Eradicating a species might sound like something that’s always bad. We put a lot of time and money into protecting life on Earth, not destroying it. But not all eradication plans target a species’ entire population — just the parts that end up in places we don’t want them to be. Invasive species can completely wreck an ecosystem, and we’ve tried all kinds of different ways to get rid of them over the years. But some of those efforts … kind of backfired. Spectacularly. Take, for example, Australia’s poster child for invasive species: the cane toad. Native to southern and central America, this toad is huge, averaging between 12 and 15 centimeters, and will eat almost anything, from carrion to insects to that bowl of cat food you left outside. They’ll also eat smaller fr...
