[APWG] Fw: Ideas for thought.

[Scott Lenharth]

This essay is about philosophy, so it's difficult to respond to from the
perspective of invasive biology or restoration ecology.  Statements such as
"purple loosestrife is...nature's way of solving a problem" can't be
objectively considered.

Wayne, you touched on a good point - some introduced plants become invasive
in ecosystems that have experienced no apparent human "disturbance".  The
essay ignores this critical point:  plants and animals, moved somewhere
else, may be biologically released from their co-evolved pathogens,
predators, etc.  And that provides the competitive advantage.

I think the author does illustrate the contrary positions people
take regarding urban lands - parks, preserves, green spaces.  Should these
be restored into something resembling the historic (pre-settlement)
ecosystem?  Or become hybrid "edible landscapes"?  Or just serve as
recreation areas with no effort to manage the flora?


>On Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 3:10 PM, Wayne Tyson <landrest at cox.net> wrote:
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