Where would you plant a Wollemi pine?
According to The Australian, fewer than 300 saplings of the relic giant tree which can live for 1,000 years are to be auctioned by Sotheby’s soon.
But why stop at a 90 million year old pine for the farm or acre block?
What about an elephant?
A couple of days ago The Australian gave a fair amount of space to the following story about introducing African wildlife into North America based on a Reuters story, based on an article in science magazine Nature:
Reintroducing the modern relatives of the Late Pleistocene losers to North America could spark fresh interest in conservation, contribute to biodiversity and begin to put right some of the wrongs caused by human activities.
“Establishing Asian asses and Przewalski’s horse in North America might help prevent the extinction of these endangered species and would restore equid species to their evolutionary homeland,” the scientists wrote.
They proposed a second phase that would include reintroducing African cheetahs, lions and Asian and African elephants to large private parks.
“Free-roaming, managed cheetahs in the southwestern United States could save the fastest carnivore from extinction, restore what must have been strong interactions with pronghorn and facilitate ecotourism as an alternative for ranchers.
“Managed elephant populations could similarly benefit ranchers through grassland maintenance and ecotourism,” they wrote, adding that reintroducing lions would represent the pinnacle of the Pleistocene re-wilding of North America.
They admitted the plan would be controversial but said it was a far better option than simply accepting the terminal decline of some of the world’s most impressive species due to human encroachment and global warming. end of quote.
As someone who spent years working for a research station dedicated to the control of weeds and feral animals – the mind boggles.
Perhaps elephants would do a good job of controlling the African exotic prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) on the Mitchell grass downs of NW Queensland � I have seen first hand how damaging elephants can be to acacias in Africa.
But hey, America is going to save Africa’s wildlife in America?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
It says something for the US economy if they are still able to provide sanctuary to the endangered species of the world – animal and human.
I think it says more about their environmental ignorance and their blind faith in the omnipotence of the world’s greatest super-power.
🙂