Friends or Foe? Invasive Species and Public Green Space in Toronto

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Environmentalists and ecologists typically regard invasive species as ecologically detrimental and undesirable. Although the ecological impacts of invasive species are well documented, less attention has been devoted to the sociocultural contexts guiding responses to species invasion. In this study the roles of invasive species are reconsidered through three prominent green spaces in Toronto, Canada: the Don Valley Brick Works, High Park, and the Leslie Street Spit. The case studies challenge popular negative assumptions about invasive species and suggest that they can serve important functions both for local ecosystems and for human communities. The case studies also provide lessons on the tension between and within different environmental imaginaries informing invasive species management. Invasives are often compatible with recreational interests, whereas naturalization efforts are ecologically sensitive and costly. Invasives can help restore human‐made wastelands, and naturalization efforts often benefit wealthy rather than poor neighborhoods.

Stakeholder perceptions and practices regarding Prosopis (mesquite) invasions and management in South Africa

“…Pinus spp., Prosopis, and other invasive trees are also exploited commercially on a large scale by private companies (Moran et al 2000;Shackleton et al 2014). In addition, species like Acer platanoides, Jacaranda mimosifolia, and Pinus are valued for aesthetic and cultural reasons by communities (Foster and Sandberg 2004;Dickie et al 2014). However, these species also have negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and local livelihoods.…”

Beneath the Straw: In Defense of Participatory Adaptive Management

“…We and, more importantly, many local citizens believe that such a stance is hindering the development of novel approaches toward conservation and restoration given the specific conditions found in Kings Bay. A number of other recent studies advance the notion that the aggressive control of established INS can have socio-ecological effects that are generally regarded as negative (e.g., Shapiro 2002;Foster and Sandberg 2004;Krajick 2005;Hershner and Havens 2008;Kanowski et al 2008;Lockwood and Latchininsky 2008), and we suggest that the history of aquatic plant control Kings Bay provides an example in which this may also be the case. While we do apologize to Simberloff for oversimplifying his position on the particular point of flexibility with regard to INS control in certain circumstances, we-for all the reasons discussed above-must otherwise reject his charge that our conceptual framing of invasion biology as an applied management discourse is a strawman built upon ''brazen'' exaggeration.…”

Whose Place Is This Anyway? An Actor-Network Theory Exploration of a Conservation Conflict

“…The term implies a sense of nonbelonging, something foreign that has intruded into an established community, despite the fact that the silver birch are a native British species. In ecological studies, as Foster and Sandberg (2004) point out 'invasive species are typically assessed as "disturbances" (or at least symptoms of disturbance) that may upset the "normal" workings of a biotic community, be that normalcy based on balance or on flux' (p. 179). There is no pretence here that heathlands are anything other than a manmade environment, however the strength of the language -'serious', 'invasion', 'management problem' -presents the maintenance of the heath as the only viable option.…”