Post by EXO on Nov 15, 2008 20:55:48 GMT 8
Any claim that Corregidor might make to being an unspoiled ecology, were they to make it, or any aspiration to become an island paradise of unspoiled eco- tourism, were they to dream it, can be readily defeated by one word.
Cats.
I hate cats.
To be more specific, I hate feral cats - those untamed and ill-domesticated strays that nobody owns, but which hang around as if you belong to them.
Corregidor is up to its arse in them.
They reduce biodiversity. They devastate island ecosystems. When they go feral, they become a vector of disease, including toxoplasmosis (of which they are the primary reservoir), giardiasis, the rabies virus, campylobacter, and other diseases and parasites that can infect both domestic cats and humans.
More specifically, I hate it that there are cats everywhere there are people on Corregidor. In some places, there are now more cats than people. It's clear that no one here knows what ecological damage unconstrained strays can do to all wildlife. Thank god the noise of the airconditioning in the Corregidor Inn drowns out the noise of the nocturnal catfights.
If you are a bird-watcher, hurry to Corrgidor. Lest the cats will spoil it.
Though lately, there's another issue which disturbs me almost as much.
I am not a horticulturalist, nor even a gardener. I know the names of about half a dozen, maybe a dozen, flowers - the ones that you need to know so you don't send roses to funerals or lillies to a wedding, and that sort of thing. Some trees I like, though I'm not a tree hugger. I believe that if you chop one tree down, you should plant two to replace it. Grass, for me, is of two types - the nice sort you can walk on, and the sort that gets you arrested. Plants, like a lot of things, come in two types - the sort that is a beenift, and the sort that isn't. If they're a benefit, they're not my problem.
That's why I am concerned that there's another issue which Corregidor may need to face before it gets even more critical.
Here's a few photos taken recently.
Is what you are seeing here the dreaded KUDZU ?
Because, if it is, Corregidor has an ecological disaster on its hands. Kudzu is a Class A Noxious Weed.
For anyone who has travelled in the southern states of the USA (especially Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia) with their eyes open, they can see that Kudzu is an invasive - pervasive - ecological pest, one of the most common and troublesome weeds of rights-of-way, power lines, roadsides, paths and forests it is possible to find. It is common that Kudzu outgrows ALL trees and other vegetation once it is established in an area. On a good summer day, a single Kudzu vine grow over a foot. Its roots can penetre soil to depths of 3 m (9 ft.) In my Google searching to identify it, I saw photos of it covering houses. Little wonder that it has been classified as a Class A, noxious weed.
Kudzu is so aggressive it covers and smothers all other plants in its path, resulting in solid single species stands eliminating all native species and natural diversity. Biodiversity becomes a thing of the past. Trees covered with kudzu are damaged by the weight of the vegetation resulting in loss of limbs or tree death from insufficient light necessary for photosynthesis. Once established, Kudzu can render lands unusable for any purose except the growth of kudzu.
I first noticed what I believe is kudzu on the west slope of Malinta, in isolated patches, a few years back. Now it has created a dense, impenetrable curtain there - so dense, it has become a second ground level. It has made some areas entirely impenetrable. And it's spreading fast.
Now, if we could only get the cats to eat the kudzu.
Unfortunately, life is not that simple.
Cats.
I hate cats.
To be more specific, I hate feral cats - those untamed and ill-domesticated strays that nobody owns, but which hang around as if you belong to them.
Corregidor is up to its arse in them.
They reduce biodiversity. They devastate island ecosystems. When they go feral, they become a vector of disease, including toxoplasmosis (of which they are the primary reservoir), giardiasis, the rabies virus, campylobacter, and other diseases and parasites that can infect both domestic cats and humans.
More specifically, I hate it that there are cats everywhere there are people on Corregidor. In some places, there are now more cats than people. It's clear that no one here knows what ecological damage unconstrained strays can do to all wildlife. Thank god the noise of the airconditioning in the Corregidor Inn drowns out the noise of the nocturnal catfights.
If you are a bird-watcher, hurry to Corrgidor. Lest the cats will spoil it.
Though lately, there's another issue which disturbs me almost as much.
I am not a horticulturalist, nor even a gardener. I know the names of about half a dozen, maybe a dozen, flowers - the ones that you need to know so you don't send roses to funerals or lillies to a wedding, and that sort of thing. Some trees I like, though I'm not a tree hugger. I believe that if you chop one tree down, you should plant two to replace it. Grass, for me, is of two types - the nice sort you can walk on, and the sort that gets you arrested. Plants, like a lot of things, come in two types - the sort that is a beenift, and the sort that isn't. If they're a benefit, they're not my problem.
That's why I am concerned that there's another issue which Corregidor may need to face before it gets even more critical.
Here's a few photos taken recently.
Is what you are seeing here the dreaded KUDZU ?
Because, if it is, Corregidor has an ecological disaster on its hands. Kudzu is a Class A Noxious Weed.
For anyone who has travelled in the southern states of the USA (especially Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia) with their eyes open, they can see that Kudzu is an invasive - pervasive - ecological pest, one of the most common and troublesome weeds of rights-of-way, power lines, roadsides, paths and forests it is possible to find. It is common that Kudzu outgrows ALL trees and other vegetation once it is established in an area. On a good summer day, a single Kudzu vine grow over a foot. Its roots can penetre soil to depths of 3 m (9 ft.) In my Google searching to identify it, I saw photos of it covering houses. Little wonder that it has been classified as a Class A, noxious weed.
Kudzu is so aggressive it covers and smothers all other plants in its path, resulting in solid single species stands eliminating all native species and natural diversity. Biodiversity becomes a thing of the past. Trees covered with kudzu are damaged by the weight of the vegetation resulting in loss of limbs or tree death from insufficient light necessary for photosynthesis. Once established, Kudzu can render lands unusable for any purose except the growth of kudzu.
I first noticed what I believe is kudzu on the west slope of Malinta, in isolated patches, a few years back. Now it has created a dense, impenetrable curtain there - so dense, it has become a second ground level. It has made some areas entirely impenetrable. And it's spreading fast.
Now, if we could only get the cats to eat the kudzu.
Unfortunately, life is not that simple.