In this essay, we focus on metaphors in invasion biology. The emergence of this discipline went hand in hand with heated debates on the so-called exotic species issue. The dualistic stalemate in which these debates have resulted—with only two extreme positions, nativism on the one hand and cosmopolitanism on the other—is at least partly connected to the dominance of loaded political metaphors. To break up this dichotomy to create space for fruitful debate, we will explore various metaphorical frames of ecological thinking and their implications for invasion biology. We will deconstruct the nativism–cosmopolitanism dichotomy by identifying various management practices, in each of which the native species issue is shaped differently.

There has recently been growing interest in the role of metaphors in environmentalism and nature conservation. Metaphors not only structure how we perceive and think but also how we should act. The metaphor of nature as a book provokes a different attitude and kind of nature management than the metaphor of nature as a machine, an organism, or a network. This article explores four clusters of metaphors that are frequently used in framing ecological restoration: metaphors from the domains of engineering and cybernetics; art and aesthetics; medicine and health care; and geography. The article argues that these metaphors, like all metaphors, are restricted in range and relevance, and that we should adopt a multiple vision on metaphor. The adoption and development of such a multiple vision will facilitate communication and cooperation across the boundaries that separate different kinds of nature management and groups of experts and other stakeholders.

To illuminate the problems and perspectives of water management in Iran and comparable (semi-) arid Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, three paradigms can be distinguished: the traditional, the industrial and the reflexive paradigm. Each paradigm is characterised by its key technical system, its main social institution and its ethico-religious framework. Iran seems to be in a state of transition from the 'hydraulic mission' of industrial modernity to a more reflexive approach to water management. This article sketches the contours of the emerging paradigm: a complementary system of traditional and modern methods of water provision, a participatory water resources management and a 'post-mechanistic' ethico-religious framework.

'Place' is a contested concept in conservation and restoration. In this chapter we will focus on invasion biology to examine some of the topics related to this controversial concept. The recent emergence of this discipline has gone hand-in-hand with heated debates on the so-called exotic species issue. Apparently, these debates have ended in stalemate, with only two extreme positions: nativism and cosmopolitanism. To break up this dichotomy and to give the debate a new impulse, we will explore the different metaphors that can be found within the scientific discipline of invasion biology in some detail.In recent literature there has been growing attention for the role of metaphors in environmentalism and nature conservation. Our ordinary conceptual system is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. With the help of metaphors we can understand the abstract and unfamiliar in terms of the concrete and familiar. Metaphors not only structure how we perceive and think, but also how we should act (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). The metaphor of nature as a book will provoke a different attitude and kind of nature management than the metaphor of nature as a machine, an organism, a network and so on (Mills, 1982;Ebenreck, 1996;Harré, Brockmeier & Mühlhäusler, 1999).This chapter examines the metaphors that are frequently used in framing invasion biology. We will argue that these metaphors, like all metaphors, are restricted in range and relevance, and that we should adopt a multiple vision of metaphors. The adoption and development of such a multiple vision will open up new space for communication and cooperation across the borders between people from different disciplines, and between experts and laypeople.

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