When Europeans arrived in Australia, they found a place that looked nothing like home. They brought with them guns, germs and hubris. They also brought a vast ignorance of what an ecology is, or worse, why it matters.
This country, they thought, would be much improved if they could make it more like the green fields of England. What the inferior place needed were the plants and animals they knew.
Along came rabbits, foxes, cats, goats, lantana, privet and scotch thistles.
The drive, however, was more than aesthetic. Their dream included the productive crops to feed a much larger population. Indeed, without that, Australia could not support anywhere near the current numbers or export food as we now do.
To transform the country, they needed goats, sheep, cattle, rice and wheat.
Less obvious were the farming practices that diverted rivers, built fences, spread fertilisers and removed trees.
Much later came the European carp and cane toads - the list is endless. While we are far more aware now, the result has been a continuing disaster for Australia's ecology that has seen degraded lands and species lost forever.
The height of this movement began with the Victorian Acclimatisation Society in 1861.
They established the first zoo on the banks of the Yarra River, with one of its purposes being to house imported animals prior to their release into the wild.
An early proponent was Edward Wilson, editor of The Argus. Among his plans were to release monkeys "for the amusement of the wayfarer, whom their gambols would delight as he lay under some gum tree in the forest on a sultry day".
Fortunately, his request was refused, but one can imagine if he'd managed to introduce monkeys into the mix.
In Victoria, Ferdinand von Mueller was director of Melbourne's Botanic Gardens and a passionate advocate for collecting and cataloguing native plants.
One of his less worthy achievements was to spread the scourge of blackberries across the landscape. He'd carry seeds in his pocket, distributing them during his extensive travels.
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He'd probably be horrified to know how this has damaged the land and contributed to the loss of so many species.
As some of the effects became visible, the acclimatisation societies began to fade, although some continued until the 1950s.
Around 1870, one person observed, "Edward Wilson introduced the sparrow, and the sparrow is playing havoc with our vineyards. Some busybody introduced the rabbit, and the income of Ballarat would not save us from the consequences."
Since then, we have been far more vigilant, although it's a nearly impossible job.
An online ad today proclaims: "Live giant African land snails on eBay - fantastic prices".
Some years ago, a person tried to sneak these into the country. Luckily, they were caught.
The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM.
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