One of the mistakes Australia made in good faith was the introduction of Cane Toads. It sounded like a good idea at the time - bring in these creatures to eat a pest that was harming one of our crops.
It was a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Cane Toads have no natural predators in this country - and in a short time they had become a pest in their own right, remorselessly extending their territory. In time, it is inevitable that they will reach Sydney.
The Northern Territory is waging a battle to create barriers to stop them invading Kakadu. It is feared that such an invasion would devastate much of the natural wild life in this prime tourist area and cause plant degradation.
Maybe now is the time for a scientific approach to be directed at Cane Toads.
The world has come a long way in the area of genetic modification of food crops and the discovery of the double helix opened a bright new world of understanding - and as a consequence - the changing of genetics of living creatures.
The Cane Toad has a poisonous element in it's skin which can be fatal to those creatures that devour it. It would be worthwhile to attempt a genetic modification to remove this - and make something that is a distinct liability into a natural asset.
In Europe frog's legs are a delicacy which bring a high price in shops and restaurants. With a bit of luck and a successful genetic modification this pest could rival chicken on the tables of Australia - and the world !
The world population is well past six billion and there are forecasts of food shortages ahead. The time has come to use science to create more food, and one of the ways to do that is to have a second look at opportunities - particularly where something that is a pest in big numbers could be converted into a desirable food item - and a new source of export income !
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