Salvinia is an absolute bastard; it’s almost impossible to control via conventional means, and can utterly destroy a marine ecosystem in an extremely short time.
Importing a biological control can be effective:
Cactoblastis cactorum was first introduced to Australia in 1925 from Argentina, where it was successfully used as a biological control agent for Opuntia cacti. Due to this success, it was subsequently introduced into other countries, including South Africa in 1933 and the Caribbean in the 1950s. Following introduction, Cactoblastis exerted an immediate effect on the agricultural community in South Africa, where it diminished the population of the spineless Opuntia species valued as "cattle fodder...
But it can also be disastrous:
Following the apparent success of the cane toad in eating the beetles threatening the sugarcane plantations of Puerto Rico, and the fruitful introductions into Hawaii and the Philippines, a strong push was made for the cane toad to be released in Australia to negate the pests ravaging the Queensland cane fields. As a result, 102 toads were collected from Hawaii and brought to Australia. After an initial release in August 1935, the Commonwealth Department of Health decided to ban future in However...
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