Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons has called for a national conservation plan for Bermuda to better manage invasive species which threaten native and endemic plants and animals.

Speaking in reaction to Government?s plans to combat the spread of kudzu ? an invasive Asian weed ? Mr. Simons said tackling invasive species cannot be done on a piecemeal basis. Last month, Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield declared war on kudzu, saying it grows so quickly that it ?threatens all plant life Islandwide?.

But Mr. Simons said Government must develop a comprehensive conservation plan. He said: ?The bigger question is what has the Minister and this Government done to implement a national conservation plan which will address the eradication of, and the effective management of, the invasive plant species found in Bermuda?

?We cannot address this serious problem on a piecemeal basis.?

He asked: ?When is the Government going to implement an education and public awareness campaign whereby scientists and conservationists can work with our school children, and the community at large, so that they can highlight the role that all Bermudians have to play in managing Bermuda?s invasive species and thereby preserve Bermuda?s delicate balance??