February 2021
Invasive alien species are considered one of the five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss, worldwide, as well as causing untold damage to economic assets like agriculture. Is there ever anything to be said for accepting them into the landscapes or seascapes they've occupied? And what about non-invasive alien species, and invasive native species?
Martin Schlaepfer is an ecologist and senior lecturer at the University of Geneva. He has diverse experience across the field of conservation biology, in North America and Europe.
Links to resources:
The Conservation Revolution - A book that describes "different types" of conservation biologists, and their underlying values, such as neoprotectionists and new conservationists.
The “New Conservation” - A 2013 article in the journal Conservation Biology by the godfather of conservation biology, the recently deceased Michael Soulé, in which he expresses strong reservations about the new conservation movement.
The potential conservation value of non-native species - A 2011 article in the journal Conservation Biology, in which Martin and colleagues document a variety of ways in which non-native species align with conservation targets.
Perspectives on the `alien' versus `native' species debate: critique of concepts, language and practice - A 2007 article in the journal Progress in Human Geography, questioning the terminology used to describe introduced non-native species.
Biological invasions – the widening debate: a response to Charles Warren - A 2008 rebuttal, of the Warren paper above, to which I contributed.
Do non-native species contribute to biodiversity? - A 2018 article in the journal PLoS Biology, in which Martin documents that non-invasive non-native species are excluded from most conservation indicators, and questions that approach.
Changing perceptions of change: the role of scientists in Tamarix and river management - A 2009 article in the journal Restoration Ecology, in which the authors document ways in which exaggeration and bias can influence how non-native species are portrayed by scientists.