Vanuatu's tropical rainforests are suffocating under an invasive species which, according to local lore, was introduced during World War II to camouflage Allied operations. Commonly known as "big lif", or merremia, its big leaves and ropey vines form a blanket that smothers the forest.
"Big lif is considered to be the biggest driver of deforestation in Vanuatu because it literally strangles the existing vegetation and invades the forest," James Carter, the project manager at the South Pacific World War II museum in Luganville, said.
Original Article: The vine with a murky past that is strangling Vanuatu's forests
