Undesirable : Invasive Species, Humans, and Where We All Belong

Invasive species are consistently vilified as a major threat to the ecosystems we call home. But Undesirable reveals there is much more to this story, and offers surprising ideas about our relationship with the natural world. Over the past five hundred years, human exploration, settlement and commerce have carried countless plants and animals far from their original homes, where they sometimes go on to transform familiar landscapes, cause large-scale agricultural damage, and endanger precious native species. But the young field of invasion biology has been wracked by controversy and haunted by ethical quandaries as it has sought to destroy some species for the benefit of others. Undesirable: Invasive Species, Humans, and Where We All Belong brings this complexity to light, illuminating the often dubious moral and even ecological and economic bases for many anti-invasive policies. Whether it's garlic mustard spreading through American forests or brushtail possums allegedly decimating the flightless birds of New Zealand, Undesirable reveals a multi-faceted story of how humans have irrevocably disrupted nearly every ecosystem in the world. We have introduced new species, destroyed habitat and changed the climate—but it's not always clear how to hold ourselves accountable in the quest to bring balance and sustainability to this new natural world. Through case studies, historical surveys, media criticism, and conversations with both experts and the ordinary people who serve as foot soldiers in the war on invasive species, this book explores how confronting our deeper anxieties about nature and our roles in a changing world can help us see our "unwanted" neighbors in a new light and teach us all to be better stewards.