Brown Alumni Staying Green

II have to disagree with many of the assumptions and conclusions drawn by Prof Sax in this article. Its pretty obvious that species invasions run the gamut from relatively "benign" to downright paralyzing, and that there's an enormous gray area in between these extremes that all depends on how you define the injury, whether in interference with ... See Morehuman activities, eg fisheries, or irrigation infrastructure, vs interference with non-human processes such as forest succession, or fire cycles, or some combination of both. Its also a given that we need to be whole-systems thinkers when it comes to invasive species, and not think in simplistic terms. Its also a given that we are the most invasive species on earth. But that doesnt mean we need to throw up our hands and suggest its inevitable that we homogenize the planet just because that's what humans are good at! The key point that's missing from Sax's article is that we desperately need a paradigm shift from eradication/control to prevention- something we humans dont do a good job of (see Preventative Medicine, or lack thereof; see Inability to Pass Meaningful Climate Change Policies). Just because we can live in a world that has only Starbucks and MacDonald's doesnt mean we should; the same can be said for kudzu and zebra mussels. Throwing our hands up and sayings "its not that bad" or "its inevitable" in the face of overwhelming evidence that species introductions can contribute to reductions in biodiversity and wholesale changes in ecosystem function- I cant accept that role as a scientist or as someone who cares about the stewardship of our planet.

Thanks! I've gathered some great feedback - very interesting stuff. And will share what's come out of other social media sites as well...

We'd like to thank her hometown newspaper in NH for the news!

Hey you, how're you doin'?