Fieldwork notes and more

Giancarlo Bono, Sarrabus, filmed interview, 30 Marzo 2018.

In 2010, […] we immediately turned to the internet to understand what it was about. We realized that it was a parasite of Australian origin, just like the eucalyptus, which, although now widespread worldwide, is also Australian. We then understood that this disease affects eucalyptus, which in Sardinia represents one of the most important honey-producing plants—even though it is not a native honey-producing species. However, it is extremely important in terms of productivity. So, we took action to try to protect our work. The explanations we found online indicated that this parasite was very dangerous. It was the first to arrive. Later, another one arrived, as is happening worldwide due to globalization and the constant movement of goods. Along with goods, many other things travel: insects, bacteria, viruses, and so on. Something travels with them, moving from a distant land to another where it finds an entirely different environment. Generally, these new organisms, relocated to a new part of the planet, cause damage. Damage to animals, vegetation… They come from areas where they were in balance with their natural enemies and arrive in places where these antagonists are absent, and that’s where the problem arises. The issue could be resolved if we could bring the natural enemies from the parasites' homeland. However, a poorly designed law from 2003 prohibits (legally) bringing in any type of living organism. As a result, even today, we cannot bring from Brazil the antagonist needed to combat the current eucalyptus parasite, Thaumastocoris peregrinus [that is the Noackae]. […] Other European states have enacted similar laws to protect themselves from the introduction of non-native organisms. However, they wisely included an exception for importing organisms beneficial for biological control, the so-called parasitoids.