African Plants Grow as Dutch Environment Warms
Date: 27-Jul-04
Country: THE NETHERLANDS
The Standaardlijst Nederlandse Flora, a catalog of plants growing wild in the northern European country, found 50 varieties introduced here over the last seven years - some from as far away as Africa, Dutch media reported.
Researchers who compiled the catalog, due to be published in September, said that as the European climate has warmed the plants spread from the south of the continent.
Global warming and the accompanying rising oceans is a particularly significant issue to the Netherlands as half of the country lies below sea level.
The tiny but wealthy Netherlands with its population of 16 million is criss-crossed with canals and rivers, and has battled for centuries to claw back land from the sea and protect itself by building sea walls known as dykes.
