Australia has committed many infamous vandalisms against the landscape with the voluntary introduction of cane toads to control pests in the sugar cane industry for example. Foxes were also introduced for the leisured classes to have something to hunt for in 1871. Many exotic plants have been introduced and are still being imported, industrially propagated and randomly released into the environment. One of these examples was the Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) , introduced from South Africa in the 60's, it was supposed to be a quick solution to stabilise the coastal land where extractive industries had mined the beaches for sand. Yes, it is that yellow daisy that is so ubiquitous on Australian beaches left behind for you as an inheritance.
“Bitou bush has now infested about 80 per cent (or more than 900km) of the NSW coastline, extending 10km inland in some areas. It has become the dominant species along about 36 per cent of the state's coastline.“ “Bitou bush has become one of Australia's worst environmental weeds. “
The woody plant “is a highly competitive weed that smothers native plant communities and destroys natural habitat and food sources for native animals “
Authorities and volunteers attempt to halt the invasion by physical removal, fire, biological control and herbicides. Bundjalung, Yuraygir, Hat Head, Crowdy Bay, Botany Bay and Eurobodalla national parks have had spraying from the air and additional ground spraying of toxins that kill the plants. National Parks authorities aim to “ to ensure that all aerial spraying programs are undertaken to the highest possible standard, whilst preserving public safety and minimising harm to the environment. “
Cape Byron Headland Reserve and Broken Head, Wooyung and Brunswick Nature Reserves will get $120,000 worth of funds 'to battle bitou bush'. (NP)
Some people in the area object to councils spraying poisons, some relate herbicides with degenerative diseases, some communities are concerned herbicides drift into the drinking water.
What assurance is given to residents, bushwalkers and beach-goers, as well as to wild-life, that all are not immersed in toxic chemicals that one day might be discovered to have been 'a mistake'. The aerial mist and ground wash-off will have entered the circuit of all living organisms, as well as the water and air currents.
Health effects of herbicide
Health effects of 2,4-D
Toxic Human
Parkinson and Herbicide
Effects of Roundup on mammalian fertility
10 reasons to stop herbicide
The EU banning Paraquat
A community resisting herbicide
A contemporary sustainable educational institution refraining from spraying toxins
Update 260609:
- " Weed killer kills human cell... Used in yards, farms and parks throughout the world, Roundup has long been a top-selling weed killer. But now researchers have found that one of Roundup’s inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells." Environmental Health News, 220609
- Nora Benachour and Gilles-Eric Sralini, Glyphosate Formulations Induce Apoptosis and Necrosis in Human Umbilical, Embryonic, and Placental Cells, Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2009, 22 (1), pp 97–105 DOI: 10.1021/tx800218n Publication Date (Web): December 23, 2008
Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark? Earth Open Source Report, June 2011 on scribd
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