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Cases / Introduced and invasive species · Australia · 1925

Cactoblastis moth, released against prickly pear in Australia, later reached Florida

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 not measured See the gaps

A moth introduced to control invasive prickly pear in Queensland later reached Florida, where it now threatens native cacti. The sources reviewed give few links for the release history.

What?
A moth released to control invasive prickly pear in Australia later reached Florida, where it now threatens native cacti. BioControl (Springer)
Where?
Queensland, Australia; Florida, United States.
When?
Australian release 1925; Caribbean release 1956–57; Florida arrival 1989.
Who?
Gained
  • Queensland land managers — Invaded land recovered from prickly pear (about 6.5 million ha, per the sources reviewed)
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Native cacti in Florida — Threatened by the moth after its 1989 arrival
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Deliberate release of an insect as biological control; the Florida spread followed a second, separate release in the Caribbean.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

According to the sources reviewed, the moth was brought to Australia in 1925, and about 6.5 million hectares of Queensland land were recovered from invasive prickly pear.

The sources reviewed say a separate intentional release was made in the Caribbean in 1956–57, and that the moth reached Florida in 1989, where it now threatens native cacti.

Biocontrol literature cited in the sources reviewed records the Australian prickly-pear success and the later threat to native cacti in Florida.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record The sources reviewed give no source link for the 1925 release, the 1956–57 Caribbean release, the 1989 Florida arrival or the 6.5 million hectare figure.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not say which native cacti in Florida are affected, or by how much.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

    Researchers

    Terms used on this page

    Science and environment

    Hectare (ha)
    A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.
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