So in recent nature news I've seen more and more about how cities, counties, states, etc are focusing on eliminating invasive species. I came across an interesting article in The Guardian which presented an interesting question in regards to eliminating non native species in Britain which have become very commonplace (ie. barn owls, fallow deer and red kites): just what does it take to be a native to these shores?
According to the USDA an invasive species is any plant, animal or pathogen which is non native to an ecosystem and which also poses harm to existing components of that system. The worst invasive species are those that endanger ecosystems to the point that they severely decrease biodiversity and in those cases it does sound like a good reason to eliminate them.
My question/thought concerns the effects of human caused climate change on migration patterns and distribution of species. We're all pretty aware that as the land and oceans heat we will see the gradual/sudden extinction of hundreds, if not thousands, of species and those that survive could likely find new habitats in which they could be more successful. In the case that we see native species succumb to extinction due to climate change and new, non-native ones move in to fill their niche; is it still our right/responsibility to maintain that original ecosystem? Or are we fighting a losing battle here? Should we accept that we have done irreversible damage and now must let go of the past and nurture the life we haven't yet destroyed?
Call me a nihilist, realist, quitter... whatever you want... but are we doing all of this to stave off our own feelings of guilt? If the climate changes to the point that we can never reestablish original ecosystems then what are we doing in the first place? Perhaps my thoughts come from the knowledge that evolution is constantly at work; natural selection is a constant force on populations and the world as we've known it over the last few centuries is not the world that has always been. But is it "survival of the fittest" if we're the reason those species come into conflict in the first place? If we want to establish ecosystems maybe we should be resurrecting dinosaurs? They were here first by the way! Perhaps (as it usually is) this is all about economics...money. We can't destroy our own resources!...though we're really good at it.
Now I don't want you all to take this the wrong way. I'm a huge fan of biodiversity and conservation/education are my passion so in no way am I saying we should just throw in the towel and give up because I will never stop fighting. So I want you all to answer this question for me:
Why do YOU care about conservation of ecosystems and species?
Check out Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History for more about the impact of invasives and how our world has changed and continues to do so.
That's all for me tonight folks!
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