日本傳統櫻花節或成過去 樹木受嚴重蟲害威脅

There are fears that Japan's iconic cherry blossom festivals could be a thing of past as the trees are threatened by an invasive pest, it's reported.

據報道，人們正在擔心，日本標誌性的櫻花節可能會成爲歷史，因爲櫻花樹受到了入侵害蟲的威脅。

The culprit is the red-necked longhorn beetle - or aromia bungii - a species of beetle whose larvae feed on cherry and peach trees, often killing them, the Asahi Shinbun newspaper reports.

據《朝日新聞》報道，這一罪魁禍首就是紅頸天牛，別稱桃紅頸天牛，這是一種幼蟲生長在櫻桃數和桃樹上的生物，經常危害這些樹木。

Up to 4 cm (1.5 inches) long, the insect is thought to be native to China and South Korea, but has already been making its presence felt in Japan in the past few years. The Japanese government has classified it as harmful to the ecosystem, and in February sent guidance urging local governments to take action to bring it under control, according to Asahi Shinbun.

這種長達4釐米（1.5英寸）的昆蟲被認爲原產於中國和韓國，但已經在日本生存了幾年。據《朝日新聞》報道，日本政府已經將它歸類爲有害於生態系統的物種，並在二月份時發放了督促地方政府採取行動的指南來控制住它們的擴散。

Loss of the trees could endanger hanami - literally "flower viewing" - Japan's much-loved spring tradition of holding outdoor parties under flowering cherry trees to admire their transient beauty.

樹木的損失可能危及到這項稱爲花見的活動--字面意思是“賞花”--這是日本備受歡迎的傳統戶外活動，人們在樹下聚會，並欣賞春日裏稍縱即逝的櫻花。

"If no measures are taken to address the issue, the culture of hanami will vanish from Japan within 20 to 30 years in the worst case," says Ryutaro Iwata, a professor of forestry and entomology at Nihon University.

日本大學林業與昆蟲學教授巖田龍太郎表示：“如果不採取措施來解決這個問題，在最壞的情況下，賞花文化將於20年至30年後從日本消失，”

The beetle was first spotted in Japan in 2012, but is thought to have entered the country earlier, as the larvae can take up to three years to mature into adults.

這種天牛於2012年首次在日本發現，不過人們認爲其是更早之前進入日本國內的，因爲其幼蟲可能需要三年的時間才能成熟爲成蟲。