Drastic ecosystem interventions like eradicating an unwanted species can sometimes backfire, but new University of Queensland-led modelling may help to avoid these ecological hiccups.
Drastic ecosystem interventions like eradicating an unwanted species can sometimes backfire, but new University of Queensland-led modelling may help to avoid these ecological hiccups.
Dr Matthew Adams, from UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said despite all good intentions, ecological interventions can have devastating consequences.
“It would be great if we could simply assume that eradicating an invasive species from a natural environment is always a good thing,” Dr Adams said.
“But doing this could change the population or feeding preferences of a native predator, leading to the undesirable extinction of vulnerable species.
Read more at University of Queensland
Image: The greater glider went locally extinct about a decade ago in Australia's Booderee National Park, potentially due to well-intentioned human intervention. (Credit: The University of Queensland)
