Between Nativism and Cosmopolitanism: Framing and Reframing in Invasion Biology

Abstract

'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.

Research on the social perception of invasive species: a systematic literature review

“…For example, Pyšek et al (2008) indicated that more than half of the studies on invasive species were conducted in North America. Similarly, Kenis et al (2009) revealed that two thirds of studies on invasive insects are conducted in North America. This geographical bias can be explained by historical, societal, political and economic differences between Global South and Global North (Nuñez and Pauchard 2010).…”

European Nature Conservation and Restoration Policy—Problems and Perspectives

“…People also feel annoyed at the frequent use of militaristic and combative metaphors. Comparing plant and animal species with “natural enemies” and declaring war on these species can have a boomerang effect and lead to the alienation of the very local communities the nature conservation and restoration movements need most (Schroeder 2000; Keulartz 2009).…”

Beyond ‘Native V. Alien’: Critiques of the Native/alien Paradigm in the Anthropocene, and Their Implications

“…'Invasion' features in the title of Elton's seminal book and defines invasion science, but the use of the word itself and of the many accompanying military metaphors has been much criticized as inflammatory, polarizing and hyperbolic (Davis, 2009;Larson, 2011). While bellicose anti-alien metaphors can motivate conservation volunteers, they can also prove counter-productive, offending the public on whose support conservation depends (Keulartz & van der Weele, 2009). Many have also critiqued the routine use of stigmatizing anthropomorphisms (Coates, 2011(Coates, , 2015Guiasu, 2016;Warren et al, 2017).…”

“…Early critiques of the native/alien classification (hereafter NAC) came predominantly from environmental philosophers and social scientists while criticisms by ecologists came later. 1 At root, the disputes are animated by contrasting worldviews concerning what nature is or should be (Simberloff, 2012(Simberloff, , 2015, views which span the spectrum from nativism to cosmopolitanism (Keulartz & van der Weele, 2009;Switzer & Angeli, 2016).…”