Moths could target cocaine output
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Thousands of hungry moths may hold the key to eradicating cocaine production, Colombian scientists have said, but critics say the idea could open the way for "ecological mischief."
The researchers' plan involves breeding Eloria Noyesi moths in laboratories, then packing them up and dispatching them to the coca-producing areas of Colombia.
Once there, the moths, native to the Andean region of South America, would leap straight onto the nearest coca plant and lay their eggs on their leaves.
A week or so later, caterpillars would crawl out and eat the leaves, destroying the plant.
More than 100 eggs could be laid by each moth each month, Gonzalo Andrade, a biology professor with Colombia's Universidad Nacional, said.
He said it could be a natural way to eradicate the coca plants.
"It would be like fumigating the crops with moths," he said.
Colombia is the world's major supplier of cocaine.
The idea has been described by Colombian Environment Minister Sandra Suarez as an "interesting alternative" to current methods of combating the cultivation of the plants, AP news agency reported.
However the plan has already been subject to fierce criticism from environmental campaigners.
Ricardo Vargas, director of Andean Action, said the moths, which are about twice the size of an average fly, would threaten other species of plants if released by their thousands into the wild.
"With a plan like this, the chance for ecological mischief is very high and very dangerous," Vargas said.
Other natural enemies of the coca plant, such as a type of native fungus, were also suggested for use in the plan.
In 2000, Colombia rejected a U.S. proposal to introduce a fungus, fusarium oxysporum, into coca-growing regions.
Colombian authorities said they were worried about possible mutations and negative effects on people and the ecosystem.
Instead, coca crops have been subjected to a massive program of fumigation for the last five years, funded by the U.S. government.
But poor farmers simply replant the coca and continue production as normal.
The scientists said their plan would help prevent this, as the moths would reproduce and provide a continuing threat to the cultivation of the plant.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
