Two alien invaders -- the American white moth and the red
turpentine beetle--are threatening plants and crops in areas around
Beijing. They could bring disaster if not controlled, said forestry
officials.
The pests have not yet found their way into Beijing and city
departments are prepared to prevent them from entering the capital,
Beijing forestry officials said.
American white moth pupae have been found in Qinhuangdao,
Langfang, Tangshan and Cangzhou, in Hebei Province, and in parts of
Tianjin Municipality.
The American white moth has strong reproductive ability, with
each moth laying 2,000 to 3,000 eggs. A family of larva can eat all
the leaves of a healthy tree in a few days.
Meanwhile, China Central Television reports that red turpentine
beetles have killed several million Chinese pines in the Taihang
Mountains in north China's Shanxi Province, not far from the
capital.
The beetles eat the bark from the lower part of the tree,
eventually causing its death.
An official with the Beijing forestry bureau who refused to be
identified said on Monday that the two pests have not yet been
found in the capital.
Strict control and prevention measures against invasive alien
forest pests have been in place in the city for the past few years,
he said.
Extensive inspections are carried out across Beijing each May
and October, and each year nearly 200 planes spray pesticide in
places where such pests may thrive.
The official added that efforts are under way in Hebei, Tianjin
and Beijing to prevent American white moths from entering the
city.
Invasive alien pests are causing great losses to China in terms
of biodiversity, forestry and agriculture. Chinese experts have
called for strengthened control over such species.
Alien pests have been found in all the provinces, autonomous
regions and municipalities in China, as well as into nearly all the
nature reserves in the country.
Once introduced, alien species adapt to the environment and
become difficult to eliminate, said Cai Lei, an expert with the
State Environmental Protection Administration.
The impact of such invasions can be devastating.
Each year, 1.5 million hectares of forest are damaged by
invading pests such as the American white moth.
A proposal report submitted at the recent session of the 10th
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top
political advisory body, says that invasive alien pests cause
losses of more than 57 billion yuan (US$6.9 billion) to China's
agriculture and forestry each year.
The proposal offered suggestions for controlling such pests,
including the implementation of an invasive alien species control
law and strengthening research.
(China Daily March 30, 2004)