Australian Immigration And Its Effects Essay -- Australia Environment

Australian Immigration and Its EffectsAustralia is an island continent which is geographically isolated fromthe perch of the world. This has resulted in the evolution of many another(prenominal) unique plantsand animals and the development of a very fragile ecosystem. This ecosystem hasbeen influenced by human immigration for many thousands of years.The original immigrants were the Aborigines who are approximation to havemigrated to Australia from Asia between 50 and 100 thousand years ago. Theseprimitive people learned to live in the inhospitable environment of Australiawith very shortsighted effect. Their major environmental impact was from the use ofcontrolled burning of the land. Over the years they had learned the benefit ofperiodic fires to control pests and to clear debris before it hive away andled to large uncontrolled disastrous fires. This also returned nutrients to thesoil which helped to grow back new vegetation. Unlike those who followed, theAborigines had very lit tle impact on the environment. succeeding(a) the Aborigines, Asian seafarers are believed to have traveledto Australia to trade on the north shores. Experts are not sure, but theybelieve that these seafarers are the ones who first introduced the dingo intoAustralia more or less 3,500 years ago. The dingo rapidly became the top predator andis probably the cause of the disappearance of the Tasmanian wolf and theTasmanian devil from Australia. They will hunt buck almost anything but theyare not known to attack humans. They will attack kangaroos, wombats, rabbits,and even lizards. After the settlers arrived and the sheep were brought in, thedingo started to hunt the sheep. The sheep were much easier for them to get.As a result of this the sheep grazers built a 3,307 mile long fence to separatethe sheep from the dingo. A $20 US bounty is now placed on the tegument of eachdingo.European immigrants did not come to Australia until after April 29, 1770when captain James Cook landed in Bot any Bay and made the first margin call forEngland on the eastern part of the island. He called it New South Wales.In 1787, England started their first colony in Australia which was apenal colony since Englands prisons were very overcrowded. That year, on May13, eleven ships carrying almost 1,500 people, 800 of them convicts, leftEngland for the new colony. The ... ... to spawn.The European immigrants had specific ideas regarding the beauty ofnature. The Australian landscape did not fit these standards of beauty. Theytherefore began to landscape by first clearing native plants and replacing themwith merchandise ones. The list of these plants grew year after year. Some failedwhile others thrived and overcrowded the native plants. One of these plants isthe Prickly pear. It was originally imported as a hedge plant but eventuallytook over 120,000 square miles of land.The effects of immigration on the Australian environment over the stomachfew centuries has been devastating. The origi nal European immigrants could notforesee the major impact their transplants and traditions would have on theenvironment. Even if they had, conquering the land was necessary for theirsurvival. In many areas the environmental degradation may have past the pointwhere it can be restored and is now beyond repair. However, with greaterunderstanding and knowledge of the Australian ecosystem it is hoped that progressdegradation can be stopped or even reversed. What is needed now is thecommitment of people and resources to make it happen.