Valuing the contributions of non-native species to people and nature

Sax, Dov F.; Schlaepfer, Martin A.; Olden, Julian D.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.08.005

Cited by 56 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…In this regard, it may be interesting to include in future questionnaires the perception regarding the positive–negative impacts ( e.g. , costs-benefits, ecosystem services-disservices) of the species, instead of focusing only on the negative ones (Vaz et al 2017 ; Sax et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public perceptions about the invasive pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana: a case study of environmentally conscious citizens in Southern Europe

Almeida

Marchante

2023

Biol Invasions

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Cortaderia selloana (pampas grass), native to South America, is a widespread invasive plant in several regions of the World, including the south of the Atlantic Arc (Europe), where it has been used as an ornamental species. Citizens may help to spread it, e.g., planting it in their gardens, but on the other hand, when they are aware of its invasiveness, can contribute to control it and prevent its spread. An online survey was performed to better understand the perception and knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish citizens, regarding pampas grass. The influence of education and occupation, along with age, gender and country of residence, on the knowledge and perceptions of respondents was analysed. The questionnaire was answered by 486 and 839 citizens in Portugal (PT) and Spain (ES), respectively. Most respondents were between 41 and 64 years old, mostly women in Portugal and equally women and men in Spain, with higher education and working mostly in the services sector. The majority of respondents in both countries recognized the plant, knew it is invasive and were able to name it, alerting to a possible bias of the target audience toward citizens already aware of the invasiveness of the pampas grass. Fewer respondents were aware of the legislation that limits its use, and most were unable to identify particular characteristics of the species. The results showed that respondents' occupation in PT and education in ES influenced their knowledge and perception about pampas grass. This study confirms that education and raising awareness regarding invasive species is of utmost importance, as respondents identified academic training and projects with a strong focus on public awareness as the main sources of knowledge regarding pampas grass. Better informed citizens can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, especially regarding invasive species with such ornamental interest as pampas grass.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public perceptions about the invasive pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana: a case study of environmentally conscious citizens in Southern Europe

Almeida

Marchante

2023

Biol Invasions

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“…Critics of the invasion metaphor have argued, however, that promoting militaristic relationships to species is anathema to compassionate identification and care for nature, and are concerned that normalising an ‘us‐versus‐them’ approach to valuing life will spill over into human relationships, invoking xenophobic or nationalistic tendencies, for example (Larson, 2011; Morris, 2020; Warren, 2021). Furthermore, what a conservationist might call an ‘invasive’ species might be to Australian Indigenous elders ‘cheeky’ kin, or to American Indigenous tradition bearers ‘wandering nations’ (Bach & Larson, 2017; Reo & Ogden, 2018), or to yet others ‘valued introduced species’ (Sax et al, 2022).…”

Section: The Social Lives Of Three Freshwater Metaphorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, what a conservationist might call an 'invasive' species might be to Australian Indigenous elders 'cheeky' kin, or to American Indigenous tradition bearers 'wandering nations' (Bach & Larson, 2017;Reo & Ogden, 2018), or to yet others 'valued introduced species' (Sax et al, 2022).…”

Section: Invasive Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming freshwater politics through metaphors: Struggles over ecosystem health, legal personhood, and invasive species in Aotearoa New Zealand

et al. 2023

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Metaphor, defined as the linguistic substitution of one phenomenon for another, is ubiquitous in environmental science and policy. In science, when used well, metaphors help to make complex and abstract ideas familiar and relatable, while also helping people orient ethically to the natural world. In freshwater science, metaphors structure many aspects of scientific and lay understanding. Yet, while metaphors are often used in environmental science and advocacy, there is a need to join up our currently diffuse understandings about how metaphors can help achieve social transformation for sustainability. Here, we focus on how metaphors are enshrined into institutions, giving them permanence and force as tools for social transformation. We explore three examples of metaphors in environmental science and activism that have ‘gone public’ to shape freshwater politics and governance in Aotearoa New Zealand (henceforth Aotearoa NZ). We focus on the origins, strategic purposes and limitations of the metaphors, the ways they have been institutionalised, and the roles that scientists in particular have played in shaping metaphorical meanings. Metaphors perform diverse political tasks, from mobilising popular support for species removal, to reorienting human obligations to rivers, through to expanding the scope of vision for river management. Scientists play key roles in shaping both regulatory institutions as well as informal norms that affect metaphor implementation. Finally, what makes a ‘good’ metaphor needs to be evaluated in context of who is mobilising the metaphor and what their broader sustainability values and objectives are. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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“…These knowledge gaps occur because there are many inaccessible, nonmonetised, and missing costs, alongside costs from sources that are difficult to assess (e.g., grey literature such as internal reports) . The presence of benefits alongside costs has also been contested, given that InvaCost only focuses on assessing costs (Sagoff 2020;Boltovskoy et al 2022;Sax et al 2022). Part of this criticism relates to the fact that innocuous species, ancillary costs, and failed eradication programmes are potentially dominating and/or biassing cost analyses at present.…”

Section: Benefits Alongside Costs Of Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the argument that the presence of benefits lessens the importance or risks conveyed by invasive species does a disservice to natural resource managers and conservation practitioners, and conveys large risks to conservation programs and human wellbeing. This lack of knowledge about the magnitude, origin and distribution of benefits of invasive alien species has been inappropriately used to undermine or refute existing and synthesised estimates of costs (Boltovskoy et al 2022;Sax et al 2022).…”

Section: Benefits Alongside Costs Of Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in availability and synthesis of the economic costs of biological invasions

Ahmed¹,

Haubrock²,

Cuthbert³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Biological invasions are a global challenge that has received insufficient attention. Recently available cost syntheses have provided policy and decision makers with reliable and up-to-date information on the economic impacts of invasive alien species, aiming to motivate effective management. The resultant InvaCost database is now publicly and freely accessible and enables rapid extraction of monetary cost information globally. This has facilitated knowledge sharing, developed a more integrated and multidisciplinary network of researchers, and forged multidisciplinary collaborations among diverse organisations and stakeholders. Over 50 scientific publications so far have used the database and provided detailed assessments of invasion costs across geographic, taxonomic, and spatio-temporal scales. These studies have been instrumental in guiding policy and legislative decisions, while attracting public and media attention. We provide an overview of the improved availability, reliability, and defragmentation of monetary costs, how this has enhanced invasion science as a discipline, and outline directions for future development.

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Valuing the contributions of non-native species to people and nature

Cited by 56 publications

References 63 publications

Public perceptions about the invasive pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana: a case study of environmentally conscious citizens in Southern Europe

Public perceptions about the invasive pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana: a case study of environmentally conscious citizens in Southern Europe

Transforming freshwater politics through metaphors: Struggles over ecosystem health, legal personhood, and invasive species in Aotearoa New Zealand

Recent advances in availability and synthesis of the economic costs of biological invasions

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