When it comes to the history of ecological f… well, “fornication”-ups, few can rival that of the 1935 importation of 101 individual Central and South American Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) into Australia. The idea seemed reasonable enough at the time and was done with the best of intentions – bring in the toads to control the insects that ate the sugar-cane being grown there. However, like many species introductions done with the best of intentions, this one truly paved the proverbial road to you know where.
However even as much of a mess as this introduction has caused down under, as Professor Rick Shine explains in his new Cane Toad Wars, studying the history of this much-discussed event, as well as the adaptation of both the toads to their new environment and their new environment to them, has much to teach us about “how we measure evolutionary change and ecological resilience” and also makes an “effective case for the value of long-term natural history research in informing conservation practice.”
