A plague of rats and rubbervines : the growing threat of species invasions / Yvonne Baskin

Abstract

In the summer of 2002, with front page headlines given to the Chinese Snakehead fish menacing Maryland waters and the East African West Nile virus now present in most American states, many Americans received a heady awakening to the global problems of invasive species. In fact, for quite some time in the United States, invasive species have been pervasive and doing costly damage-to ecosystems, the economy, and human health. Yet because of the complexity and global nature of invasive species phenomena, the problem is under-appreciated and not placed in its proper global context. Just at the right time, science writer Yvonne Baskin does much to explain and illuminate the problem of invasive species in her interesting and cogent book, A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat of Species Invasions. With much focus on the United States, A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines also contains vivid sketches and examinations of invasive species situations and redress efforts in places throughout the world, such as Lake Victoria, the Galapagos Islands, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.