Channeled Applesnail is a typical invasive alien species that has invaded China for 30 years and has caused significant damage to rice fields in many rural areas. Every year, the state invests a large amount of prevention and control funds for the management of Channeled Applesnail.

According to the working group's research, the annual funds used to prevent and control Channeled Applesnail in some places are heavily used to purchase chemical drugs for snail control. This approach, not only treats the symptoms but not the root cause, but the current snail control drugs, mostly have a negative effect on the ecology, especially for other biodiversity and beneficial insects, fish and frog species in farmland, causing damage. Although fattening the pockets of pesticide companies, this dependent treatment prevents nature's own ecological balance mechanism from playing an effective role in controlling invasive alien species.

After several consecutive years of surveys of invasive alien species in rural Hunan (Channeled Applesnail Research Project), CBCGDF Invasive Alien Species Working Group suggested that a very effective way to consider, in terms of efficiency in the use of funds, is to buy Channeled Applesnail eggs in large quantities during the egg hatching season (e.g., April to May) from farmers to purchase Channeled Applesnail eggs.

In this way, farmers are motivated to take the initiative to collect Applesnail eggs (Kunming, Yunnan Province has an effective precedent). The second is to grasp the timing of prevention and control and cleanup, this "eradication" is far better than waiting for the Channeled Applesnail infestation before starting to deal with it.

In addition, if there is no industry support in the village, the collected Applesnail eggs can be disposed of centrally; if there is industry support (such as duck farming, leeching, feed industry) and so on, it is better if they can be reused. 

Don't forget that the meat of Channeled Applesnail is also a high quality protein and can be a good source of animal protein; and from all indications, the eggs of Channeled Applesnail can actually play a role in carbon sequestration.

The effective prevention and control of invasive alien species requires innovative thinking. Often, ecological matters may not be so complex, and the use of nature-based solutions can have significant effects.

From the perspective of Channeled Applesnail control, chemical control (the use of drugs) is a very economical and often over-relied upon method, and, driven by the capital of chemical pesticide companies, has become the almost exclusive method of control in some places. However, the side effects associated with this method are becoming increasingly unnoticeable.

In the management of Channeled Applesnail, biological control and physical control, all of them can play a good role, especially in the context of rural revitalization, there is every chance to take sustainable use measures to deal with these flooded Channeled Applesnail. We hope to see more good practices across our country in 2023.

Original Chinese Article:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/d6SqmpnACMQWTMKzlhJaNA

Translator: Samantha

Editor: Samantha  

Contact: V10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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