Cane Toads in Australia

Rationale

This written assignment aims to attract people’s awareness on recent global issues, such as the issue of cane toads in Australia, which intrigues me since I am an international student who lives abroad now. Among three sources I found, the first one is an announcement from an organization which aims to control the issue of invasive cane toads in Australia; the second one is an article from the National Museum Australia, which mainly discusses the origins and negative impacts cane toads have been brought to Australia over years, while the third one is an article from Ecological Society of Australia the arguing that cane toads may benefit some native species as well.

With reference of these three sources, this written assignment aims to increase people’s awareness on such issue and also evaluate the pros and cons of invasive cane toads in Australia. Hence, I choose to write an article, a relatively formal format from the view of an individual who has researched on this problem. This text type would be relatively more persuasive and easier to understand for the audience, citizens in Australia and the society as a whole.

Word count: 189 words

Stop the Cane Toads

The issue of invasive species always put biologists into dilemmas. Indeed, as a global issue, this problem has been in the limelight over years. One evident example is the invasive cane toads in Australia. If you may have heard of, STTF, Stop The Toads Foundation, aims to increase people’s awareness on controlling cane toads in northern Australia over the last decade. Unfortunately, in February 2015, STTF announces that it finally closes since it lacks official supporting from the government and funding. Meanwhile, the Ecological Society of Australia asserts that cane toads are beneficial for some native species. After doing some researches on this controversial topic, I would like to carefully discuss the pros and cons of invasive cane toads for Australian citizens.

In 1935, the problem of cane beetles in the sugar cane industry in Australia was getting serious. In order to control such problem, instead of using chemicals, the scientists chose a biological method based on similar experiences. However, none had throughout evaluated whether the local environment would be jeopardized because of the invasive species. The scientists did not even sure that whether cane toads are predators of cane beetles.  Undoubtedly, cane toads had limited control on cane beetles, but further triggered the invasion of cane toads themselves on northern Australia’s ecosystem.