Honeysuckle is killing forests and ivy is helping, especially in the northeast/midwest. Kill all that shit, help stop it from spreading. And try to volunteer for local groups that are clearing invasive species. It’s pretty amazing seeing a forest before and after invasive species have been removed.
Restoration ecologist here: ask away.
Can I kill Japanese knotweed by becoming its first predator in the Americas or do you have to light it on fire and salt the earth to get rid of it?
Is there much point in doing this on an individual scale?
Probably not, but if you’re body feels like it’s on fire because you see them popping up just do it.
There are probably plenty of volunteer programs through parks or NGOs wherever you live which is the most effective thing you can do.
Is the Anglosphere making real progress with this stuff? My gut tells me it’s being left to languish like every other public effort
When I see China doing shit like trying to push back deserts it just makes me think we could’ve wiped out most invasive species ages ago if we actually tried.
I would guess on a small scale, we’re making progress. It’s much easier to manage on a small scale or if there is no exotic seed bank. For example, I’ve seen former agricultural fields look great 3 years after restoration.
There just isn’t a unified response to it. There are so many different entities that own and manage land it, you get different results.
I wish I knew about control of invasives in other countries and how serious they’re taking it.