Beyond the War on Invasive Species

Description

Invasive species are everywhere, from forests and prairies to mountaintops and river mouths. Their rampant nature and sheer numbers appear to overtake fragile native species and forever change the ecosystems that they depend on. Concerns that invasive species represent significant threats to global biodiversity and ecological integrity permeate conversations have led to a “war on invasive species,” where the arsenal is stocked with bulldozers, chainsaws, and herbicides. The “war on invasive species” is in full swing, but given the scope of such potentially dangerous and ecologically degrading practices, it is necessary to question the very nature of the battle.

Beyond the War on Invasive Species demonstrates that there is more to the story of invasive species than is commonly conceived. It offers ways of understanding their presence and ecosystem effects in order to make more responsible choices in land restoration and biodiversity conservation. The choices we make on a daily basis are the major drivers of contemporary changes in ecosystem structure and function. Deep and long-lasting ecological restoration outcomes will come not just from eliminating invasive species, but through conscientious redesign of these production systems.

Published 2015
Chelsea Green Publishing
Paperback, 272 pages, b&w. Size: 150mm x 230mm
ISBN: 9781603585637

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tao Orion is a permaculture designer, teacher, homesteader, and mother living in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon. She teaches permaculture design at Oregon State University and at Aprovecho, a 40-acre nonprofit sustainable-living educational organization. Tao consults on holistic farm, forest, and restoration planning through Resilience Permaculture Design, LLC. She holds a degree in agroecology and sustainable agriculture from UC Santa Cruz, and her interest in restoration was piqued when studying botany, wildcrafting, and herbalism at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies in Eugene, Oregon. She has a keen interest in integrating the disciplines of organic agriculture, sustainable land-use planning, ethnobotany, and ecosystem restoration in order to create beneficial social, economic, and ecological outcomes. When she is not writing, she is busy keeping up with her toddler and wrangling a diverse array of plants and animals on her 6.5-acre homestead, Viriditas Farm.