![]() In recent decades, researchers in the humanities, social sciences and some natural sciences have shown our ideas of nativeness and invasiveness also undergo change. Australia's environment department defines them as species outside their normal distribution (often representing them as non-native) which "threaten valued environmental, agricultural or other social resources by the damage it causes." Even this definition, however, is a little rubbery. Many gardeners consider them a pest, but they are cherished by snail farmers who breed them for human consumption.īy contrast, many scientists consider the concept of an invasive species to be less subjective. That means what we think of as a pest can change. So should Australian gardeners follow the U.K.'s example? Should we try to welcome all species into the garden? Responses to these questions typically describe slugs and snails as "pests," invoke the idea of a native/non-native species divide or describe the perceived damage done by invasive species.Īttracting birds like kookaburras and magpies to your garden can keep slugs and snails in check. With widespread rainy weather across Australia's east coast, gardeners are more likely to see-and potentially be annoyed by-slugs and snails. Gardening increased in popularity during the pandemic. Enticing lizards, frogs and birds to your garden can help control slugs and snails and boost biodiversity.Īre these 'pests' actually legitimate garden inhabitants? This doesn't have to mean letting them destroy your lettuces. Their principal entomologist, Andrew Salisbury, has argued that "now is the time to gracefully accept, even actively encourage, more of this life into our gardens." By rejecting the "pest" status of many invertebrates and advocating planet friendly gardening, the horticultural society directly connects the local actions of gardeners to our global biodiversity crisis. After all, the definition of " pest" is based on our perception and can change over time. So can we learn to live with slugs and snails? Yes, if we reframe how we see these invertebrates. Slugs and snails play a key role in healthy ecosystems, acting to break down organic material as well as providing a source of food for blue-tongued lizards, frogs and kookaburras. The issue is that they are part of nature.
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