Off topic - NYT article about New Zealand environmental stuff.
(And, part of an attempt to help get this thread at the top of the "Hot Subjects" list).
May 9, 2000
New Zealand Acts to Protect Its Isolated
Environment
By ALLAN COUKELL
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 8 -- Two police officers, three
government officials and a museum curator assembled outside a
modest house on a quiet suburban street here a few months ago. The
occupants were away, but the party, armed with a search warrant, entered
through an open side window, using pepper spray to subdue a barking guard
dog.
The officials were responding to a tip about
contraband on the premises, and they quickly
found what they were looking for: a pet spider
named Bob.
The spider, a Chilean rose tarantula, is just one
organism on a long list of animals, plants and
microbes that are unwanted in New Zealand, a
country serious about its biosecurity.
New Zealand's geographical isolation has allowed farms, orchards and tree
plantations to remain relatively free of pests and disease that could push up
production costs and reduce market access for export produce. But the
isolation has also left its native ecosystems susceptible to foreign invasion.
New Zealand's birds were ill-prepared to cope with the influx of cats, dogs,
rats and stoats that accompanied human arrival. Many species are now
threatened. Many of the animals and plants brought into the country have
proliferated wildly in the absence of their natural predators. The Australian
brushtail possum, for example, was introduced to New Zealand a century
ago. Despite control efforts, possums now number about 70 million. And
they are consuming native forests at an estimated rate of more than 20,000
tons of foliage every night.
Isolated island ecosystems in other places face similar problems. On Guam,
the introduction of the brown tree snake in the 1940's led to the elimination of
nine species of birds and a native bat, and other species are considered
threatened. Officials in Hawaii have established cargo inspection programs to
keep the snake out of the state.
For now, New Zealand remains snake-free. But three times this year, snakes
from Australia and Indonesia were captured in or near newly arrived shipping
containers, raising fears of further reptilian incursions.
New Zealand's precautions against foreign invaders "are probably the most
comprehensive and dynamic in the world," said Dr. Barry O'Neill, director of
New Zealand's Biosecurity Authority. "But can we ensure that another snake
won't get to New Zealand? No."
As in Hawaii, New Zealand's biosecurity begins overseas. All shipments with
the potential to carry pests must be inspected and certified offshore. Upon
arrival, goods are subjected to more scrutiny. International travelers also are
inspected.
Each year, New Zealand intercepts about 4,500 organisms and seizes 86,000
"risk goods," like apples, meat and honey, that could carry diseases. Upon
arrival, every one of more than 60,000 imported used cars is checked, inside
and out, for insect hitchhikers. And under New Zealand law, any person who
knowingly smuggles plant or animal material could face a penalty of up to
five years in prison and a fine of about $48,500.
But globalization is making the border increasingly difficult to police.
Increased trade means more cargo to inspect. (Even now, only about a
quarter of incoming shipping containers are inspected.)
Tourism and international travel may pose even greater threats. Modern air
travel whisks passengers around the world so quickly that fruit flies and
other insect pests tend to arrive alive. To reduce the biosecurity risk,
travelers are met by dogs trained to detect meat or plants, and X-rays of
baggage are frequently taken in search of biological material. But tourism is
an important industry in New Zealand, and international travelers, despite the
value they may place on New Zealand's unique flora and fauna, are unlikely to
tolerate lengthy delays for inspections.
Moreover, many potential invaders are microscopic and almost impossible to
detect. Among the most feared organisms is the virus that causes
foot-and-mouth disease in livestock. Plant viruses and fungi also pose
significant and unknown risks.
Hundreds more pests, as yet unidentified, may have already arrived. There
are about 22,000 species of plants growing in gardens around the country
(outnumbering wild species by a factor of five). Dr. David Penman, author
of a report called "Managing a Leaky Border," said as many as 200 of those
might become weeds over the next 40 or 50 years.
The difficulty for New Zealand is balancing the cost of its biosecurity
program against the economic and conservation benefits it provides. An
effective quarantine system is possible, but zero risk is not, said Dr. Ruth
Frampton, director of Forest Biosecurity at the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry.
"We have to decide what is appropriate," Dr. Frampton said. "But in my
personal view, a biosecurity defense system may be more important than
traditional defenses such as an army or air force."
Last month, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that a
parasitic honey bee mite, Varroa jacobsoni, had been discovered on one
property. Quarantine zones were quickly established, as officials scrambled
to determine the extent of the invasion. But the discovery had come too late;
the mite was already widespread.
Until this discovery, New Zealand was one of only two countries considered
free of the mite, which may damage the country's bee export industry, wipe
out the wild honey bee population and reduce the pollination of crops.
Eradication -- the last line of line of defense for biosecurity -- is under
consideration, but any operation will be costly, and success is far from
guaranteed.
Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company |
