ALIENS are invading Antarctica. The battle is on to prevent them from wreaking havoc, but it may not be enough. Non-native species are already establishing themselves in what is one of the world’s last great wildernesses.
At the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Edinburgh, UK, last week, 45 nations agreed measures aimed at stopping non-native microbes, plants and animals from invading the Antarctic. Visiting ships are being urged not to dump ballast water from other oceans, and the invading aliens problem was given top priority for research.
“Diplomats have finally realised that non-native species are a serious issue,” says John Shears from the British Antarctic…
