人類足跡

1890 年，尤金・舒乎連在紐約放生了六十隻歐洲椋鳥。如今，牠們的後裔已遍布北美達到八千五百萬隻。類似的例子更是比比皆是，入侵物種正在世界各地擴散，但這些「入侵者」真的是反派嗎？

在這一集《人類足跡》，主持人尚恩探究這些天堂裏的外來者是如何成為「入侵者」，以及我們能如何應對。

尚恩的旅程從美國佛羅里達州開始，他與賞金獵人唐娜・卡利一起狩獵緬甸蟒蛇。寵物蟒蛇在佛羅里達大沼澤找到了完美的家園，並且迅速擴散。同時，亞洲鯉魚已經佔領密西西比河流域的水道，威脅着當地人的生計，並創造了鄉下人捉魚比賽等文化傳統（甚或是極限運動）。亞洲鯉魚味道鮮美，但美國人難以接受其多骨特性。在內華達州，尚恩目擊了當地政府以直升機圍捕野馬的行動，並發現美國西部如何將一個入侵物種變成美國的象徵。在夏威夷瓦胡島，這個充滿入侵物種的島嶼上，尚恩見證了野豬捕獵、參與準備一場祭祀盛宴。

隨著入侵物種的蔓延，我們在地球上的足跡也正在擴大。即使我們能夠將所有入侵物種消滅，牠們已把生態系統變得今非昔比。但人類確實有能力改變未來，我們只需要決定：在我們想生活的世界中，有甚麼是屬於其中。

In 1890, Eugene Schieffelin released sixty European starlings in New York City. Today, 85 million of their descendants swarm across North America. And they’re not alone. Invasive species are on the march around the world. But are these “invaders” really the villains?

In this episode of Human Footprint, Shane investigates how these Strangers In Paradise become “invasive” in the first place… and what we can do about it.

Shane’s journey begins in Florida, where he joins bounty hunter Donna Kalil on a Burmese python hunt. Pet pythons have found a perfect home in the Everglades, and they’re spreading fast. Meanwhile, Asian carp have overrun waterways in the Mississippi River basin, threatening livelihoods and creating cultural traditions (or perhaps extreme sports) like the Redneck Fishing Tournament. Delicious but bony, carp are tough for the American palate to embrace. In Nevada, Shane watches wild horses fleeing helicopters in a government roundup and discovers how the mythology of the West turned one invasive species into an American icon. And on Oahu – an island chock-full of biological invaders – Shane hunts wild pigs and helps prepare a ceremonial feast.

As invasive species spread, so does our footprint on the planet. Even if we could somehow remove them all, the ecosystems they’ve transformed won’t be the same. But we do have the power to change the future. We just have to decide: in the world we want to live in, what belongs?