In today’s world there are many contributing factors to the pollution of the oceans. Many people may think that because they don’t live close to the ocean that they are not the root cause for the pollution that is occurring. Well they would be wrong in every sense of the word. It doesn’t matter where you live whether it be close or far from the ocean you are having an impact on the ocean. A few weeks back I partook in a service learning project at the Sodalis Nature Park and I was taught all about how one invasive plant species can have a negative impact on the ocean. This invasive plant species is called the Asian bush honeysuckle and the impact in has on the environment it is in here in Indiana has an effect on the Gulf of Mexico seven hundred miles away. Throughout the duration of this paper I will discuss in depth what I learned about how the Asian honeysuckle bush effects our environment and how it effects the ocean environment.
The environmental significance of this service learning project is that if a species of plants is introduced for a certain purpose or to
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Honeysuckle was brought to America to help with soil erosion, however it has done the exact opposite. Aside from soil erosion the Asian honeysuckle bush was thought to be a great plant that someone could landscape with and put into their gardens. In an article posted nu Nature.org they discuss the thoughts of Purdue Extension forester Ron Rathfon and he claims that this bush was heavily planted from the 1950s to the 1970s around the state. Wildlife agencies promoted this plant and claimed it was a “great ornamental” plant for in your home and for landscaping (Rathfon, 2016). Further studies have been done on this plant and according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources the biggest downside of the honeysuckle bush is the fact that it grows so dense that it covers everything