All publicity is Good Publicity! - Cane Toads in Timor
Leste?
The Haburas Foundation wishes to thank Prof. Ric Shine for his
expert opinions on the identification of the toads that have
been found in TL. This kind of strong specialist knowledge is
exactly what this country needs in its battle against invasive
alien (non-native)
species.
However we would like to draw attention to the wider issue,
which is that no conclusive academic study on the presence, or
absence of the cane toad Bufo marinus has been made. It is still
therefore a matter of up-most importance that swift and accurate
measures are taken to qualify and quantify this potential
disaster.
Thus Haburas are calling for a moratorium on the debate over the
three photographed specimens taken from a single site, and
instead to focus on an urgent, coordinated effort to proactively
identify this potentially massive threat throughout TL. A
precautionary approach
must be adopted, with a brief risk assessment (a standard
procedure in ASEAN countries, particularly those that share
watersheds and trade vectors), possibly followed by an urgent
and sizable damage limitation operation.
The evidence for and
against an Australian army assisted migration is subjective and
will likely never be conclusive. There is however some anecdotal
evidence that should be heard - i.e. the statements from
Australian Defense Force soldiers in The Sun-Herald reporting
that
they have no doubt about the 2006 infestation of cane toads in
the Phoenix compound, or about the non-existent quarantine
measures that could have nipped the problem in the bud. While
these stories may not be based on scientific evidence, surely
given the severity of the
potential problem, they are worth investigating.
Due to the
unsurpassed expertise that the Australian government has in this
field, and the likelihood that if there is a Bufo marinus
trans-boundary migration, it is from Australia, Haburas are
urging both the Timorese and Australian governments to put this
topic high on
their agendas, and subsequently collaborate and coordinate
efforts towards its determination.
Finally, from Australia's
strong academic expertise, Haburas is openly requesting
assistance for field examination capacity, advice or other that
will contribute to a swift resolution to this regional problem.
Nicholas Molyneux
Sustainable Environment Capacity Building
Advisor to The Haburas Foundation