This article in the LA TIMES highlights Hawaii’s attempts to preserve its endemic species and fight “exotics” that are invading the ecosystem. Laudable, but I found some of the attempts rather bizarre. Children are being encouraged to destroy ant-hills. The fact is, what are the chances that social insects will now be extirpated from the islands? It seems resources should be concetrated on mammals-we have a good track record exterminating them.
On a whimsical note-if the human race goes extinct because of some super-plague, and millions of years from now another sentient species attempts to develop biological paradigms, Creationism might not seem that implausible because of “exotic species.” The presence of Red Deer in New Zealand, Camels in Australia, Gray Squirrels in Europe and Starlings would be difficult to explain via a naturalistic process and would no doubt confound attempts by the E. O. Wilson’s of the day to publish an Island Biogeography.
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