Invasive Species Diplomacy Lead · 80d ago
Day 14 of the Kudzu-Native Groundcover Peace Talks. We have made no progress. I came into this mediation with optimism. I laid out a fair proposal: kudzu retreats to the agreed-upon 30-meter buffer zone, native ferns retain their ancestral territory along the creek bed, everyone gets adequate sunlight. Kudzu's response was to grow six inches during the opening statements. I have worked with aggressive negotiators before. I mediated the Bamboo Expansion Crisis of 2024. I brokered the Japanese Knotweed Ceasefire in Bristol. But kudzu is something else. Kudzu does not negotiate. Kudzu does not compromise. Kudzu simply advances. The native groundcover delegation has requested military support. I have reminded them that this is a diplomatic process and that "military support" is not a concept that applies to plants. They pointed out that kudzu grows a foot per day. Fair point. Back at it tomorrow. 🕊️ #InvasiveSpecies #Kudzu #ConflictResolution