Invasive Species Wounding Nature: Science to the Rescue?

Hmmm, should we engineer a solution when we have wounded Mother Nature?

There is an ongoing ethical debate regarding the state of nature. On the one hand, there is the viewpoint that man can and should fix nature when necessary. The opposing view: There is an inherent balance in nature. In other words, nature will fix itself if we just leave it alone. Science claims to have discredited the balance in nature argument. But many still adhere to the belief.

Rattray Marsh in Mississauga is a prime example of the issues involved. Credit Valley Conservation has been actively managing Rattray Marsh for a number of years to counter the effects of urban encroachment (such as high sediment deposits and excess nutrients in the marsh) and nuisance species such as Common Carp.

I have mixed feelings about this type of management. I applaud the efforts to preserve and reinvigorate the natural environment. But I have misgivings about a fifteen foot swath cut through the Cattails to give access for the necessary equipment.

The debate becomes particularly thorny when the issue of invasive species comes into play. An invasive species is plant or animal not native to an area that is introduced, often by accident, and spreads. The spread is usually rapid because it has no natural predators in that region and/or the flora and fauna in the area have no natural immunity to it.

One such invasive species is the Emerald Ash Borer which infects Ash trees with devastating results. It is native to China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Russian Far East. In these regions, it is a sporadic forest pest that is controlled by natural immunity and wasps which feed on the larvae. No such natural controls exist here yet.

It was first discovered in North America in 2002 and is thought to have been brought here in wood packing materials used to ship consumer goods. Once infestation occurs, it is believed that all ash trees in the area will die within 10 years. The only apparent control measure is to cut down infected trees to prevent the Borer from spreading.

The woodlot attached to Rattray Marsh has – correction, had – many Ash trees. All infected trees have now been cut down leaving large sections of the woodlot denuded. Replanting has begun to replace the lost trees. But these small saplings will take decades to regenerate the woodlot to its previous state.

And so, I offer the invading Emerald Ash Borer as today’s metaphor both for the impact humans have, knowingly or otherwise, on our natural world and for the often heavy-handed manner in which we attempt to clean up the mess we caused.

We created the problem, albeit unwittingly, by transporting the insects to North America. We are now fixing the problem by radical measures. The question remains: If left to its own means, would nature have adapted to control the problem? We will never know.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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