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Alien And Invasive Plants
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I
invasive plant species are considered to be one of the greatest threats to biodiversity not just on Vancouver Island, but world-wide, second only to loss of habitat, Vancouver Island is being attacked by many invasive species of plants.
Vancouver Island has very diverse and rare ecosystems that support many rare and endangered species that depend on these unique habitats for their survival, Invasive plants can take over and force the native plants out.Invasive alien plants are brought to the Island, either accidentally or intentionally, and include species like purple loosestrife, scotch broom and Japanese knotweed. These some of the plant species that are threatening our indigenous plant species on Vancouver Island.
These invasive plants can get established easily and because they may have no natural predators, they can quickly take over an area and quickly force out native species and this can also have an adverse effect on our native wildlife. As the animals usually do not eat the invasive plants and as these plants take over areas, it forces the wildlife to
look further for food.
Some of these plants can have a direct negative on humans as well, some can have huge economic impacts by competing with agricultural plantings and forest harvesting areas. They can also pose significant threats to humans by causing skin irritation, burns and poisonings.
Vancouver Island has a real problem with alien species of plants, everyone who lives on the Island has seen the advance of plants like Scotch Broom. When I was a young man, you hardly ever saw this plant on the North Island, now its everywhere you look. I was hiking up a mountain in the Kelsey Bay area this year and near the top, almost out of the tree line, there it was, Scotch Broom. This realy upset me.
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