Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species

Book excerpt: What does an unusually large, ugly, invasive species of toad have to do with global warming, international trade, and the survival of biodiversity? Quite a lot, actually. Mark Lewis's amazing and hilarious documentary Cane Toads tells the story of Bufo marinus, which was introduced to Australia in 1935 to control bugs but which quickly became a far greater menace than the beetles they eat. Today they number in the hundreds of millions and are taking over Australian habitats at 25 miles per year, spreading disease and killing native species as they go. Rogue Species explains the little-understood dangers of invasive species. Ranging from the zebra mussel (currently threatening the health of the Great Lakes) to the infamous kudzu vine (a Japanese import that now smothers seven million acres in the American southeast), these disastrous human blunders threaten the biodiversity on which all life -- including our own -- depends. The book will raise readers' awareness about the threat of non-native species, increase their appreciation of natural biodiversity, and explain what they can do to help protect unique ecosystems wherever they live or travel.