Gardening enthusiasts are accessories to the destruction of Australia’s unique environment. To limit the damage, the Australian government must act quickly to ban the sale of at least 80 imported plants that threaten to become unstoppable weeds, according to a report published on 7 March.
The government sinks hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into campaigns to eradicate imported plants that threaten the native environment or agriculture. But many plants that pose an even greater risk are sold in Australia’s garden centres.
“People buy them in good faith, with no intention of damaging the environment,” says Australia’s chief weed scientist, Rachel McFadyen of the Cooperative…
