Australian officials have given up on efforts to eradicate an invasive beetle species, calling its spread "inevitable."

What's happening?

The shot-hole borer, an invasive beetle, has already destroyed thousands of trees in Perth, Western Australia's largest city.

Now, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, government officials believe it is likely to break past quarantine lines and spread to other parts of the state. Of particular concern are native forests in the southwest.

"We don't know the full extent of the species that will be impacted as the borer inevitably spreads out to these native landscapes," ecologist Bruce Webber told ABC. "We're essentially flying blind as this beetle moves into our native landscapes."

These beetles are native to Europe, and along with Western Australia, they have spread over much of the United States and parts of Canada. Only one-twelfth of an inch in length, the tiny insects spread a fungus that can kill trees by starving them of nutrients.

Why are invasive species important?

The borer illustrates what can occur when an invasive species takes hold in an area.

Anytime a foreign plant or animal is introduced to a new area, it runs the risk of becoming invasive. This means it can spread quickly and harm its new home, including the ecosystem, local wildlife, human health, and the economy.

Officials aren't sure how the shot-hole borer first reached Western Australia, but this isn't the first time the country has dealt with an invasive species.

In southeast Queensland, stings from invasive red fire ants caused dozens of people to be hospitalized. And on eastern Australia's Fraser Coast, officials fear the spread of acid-spraying yellow ants.

What's being done about the shot-hole borer?

Western Australia's government originally hoped to eradicate the borer, thereby preventing its spread.

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However, that did not work, and the state is now trying to manage the pest. It is spending more than $17 million on several such initiatives, including an 18-month extension of two quarantine zones in Perth.

Nursery manager Jacquie Rusha told ABC it was "inevitable" that this spread would happen and said she is on the lookout for possible infestations of her business's native plants.

"We don't know how this will all end up looking in the end, but we might lose some of those really key species of plants," she said. "This change in management certainly doesn't mean that we give up and go, 'oh well, it's just here now.' It means that, if anything, we become more vigilant."

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