My articles try to show how intricate the 'web of life' really is.
Introduced species, and the problems they can cause in their new homes, is one of the themes that crops up in many of my articles. Who would have thought that an obscure little moth would threaten the game of conkers? (Leaf Miner). Or that the harmless Earthworms could either be threatened or themselves a threat?
We are (probably rightly) concerned about 'Genetic Modification' where genes are moved from species to species. We see this as man 'interfering with nature'. What we forget is that we, as a species, been doing something very similar for ages! We have moved species from habitat to habitat.
Maybe we, ourselves, are a prime example! We moved ourselves from the African Savannah a few hundred thousand years ago, and we are probably a really nasty 'invasive species'. Humans have no natural predators left and we have inserted ourselves into most habitats on the planet. We do not impose ourselves on new environments in a very subtle way - we tend to do it with bulldozers and concrete, and if any other species dares to get in our way we immediately attack with our whole arsenal, thinking nothing of chemical and biological warfare.
My aim, I suppose, is to help raise awareness of these issues. By demonstrating the links between human activity and the 'world of nature' I hope to be part of the movement towards a more responsible stewardship of our planet.
We are a very clever and powerful species, and we can learn!
