How invasives adversely effect insects and the food chain for wildlife and man

[jack]

This, I think, is an article the world should read before it's too late!!! Any thoughts? reactions???

https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-n...insect-decline

[loris]

Thanks Jack. I'm convinced that natives on my property tend to be the most popular plants with wildlife here. I was surprised there was a much push-back as there seems to be.

[Martha]

I honestly can't grasp why this is still "hotly debated". Let's just keep planting invasive species because that's what we can get at the big box stores. Why dig any deeper? Like our news feed and politics. Don't question anything. And then be really surprised when it's 40 degrees in December, coronavirus has spread to your tiny rural town, your industry is dead in the water and there are no birds chirping. Just turn up the tv so you don't have to deal with it.

[skip1909]

I see a lot of push back against restoration, conservation, and native plants coming from the subset of scientists, who favor "novel ecosystems". You see them calling themselves "new conservationists" or neo-conservationists, but as EO Wilson argues in Half Earth, they are really anti-conservationists. It's scientists like the one in the article who said the experiment showing one habitat model based on native plants was more productive, doesn't prove the concept on a larger scale. How does that make any sense? Does he really think if you planted 10,000 less productive habitats, they will somehow in sum become more productive than 10,000 productive habitats? Obviously we can't get rid of all invasives and restore every area, and novel ecosystems are our best hope in a lot of cases. Because of this fact, planting the natives in our human dominated areas will still result in a novel ecosystem! There will always be invasives and non-natives around but just getting rid of some them and adding the natives back in will make the novel ecosystem more productive.
Then I see these people in the permaculture, herbalism and foraging circles, that really have no idea about biology, botany, evolution, or ecology, parrot internet personalities and contrarian authors who misquote the "new-conservation" scientists to grant themselves permission to plant and harvest whatever they want. Anything to justify doing whatever you want.

[jack]

Great reply, indeed! I like Loris have found that the natives on my property are where there wildlife hang out. Like Martha, I'm cynical about bizarre interests that run counter to common sense and established science, and, like Skip, I'm just plain exasperated and saddened by the reasonless forces that seem to have such a powerful, overall, effect.

Anyone else have anything to add???