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 from schoolrooms to board rooms, and concerned citizens grapple with how to rapidly and efficiently manage their populations. These worries have culminated in an ongoing “war on invasive species,” where the arsenal is stocked with bulldozers, chainsaws, and herbicides put to the task of their immediate eradication. In Hawaii, mangrove trees (Avicennia spp.) are sprayed with glyphosate and left to decompose on the sandy shorelines where they grow, and in Washington, helicopters apply the herbicide Imazapyr to smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) growing in estuaries. The “war on invasive species” is in full swing, but given the scope of such potentially dangerous and ecologically degrading eradication practices, it is necessary to question the very nature of the battle. Beyond the War on Invasive Species offers a much-needed alternative perspective on invasive species and the best practices for their management based on a holistic, permaculture-inspired framework. Utilizing the latest research and thinking on the changing nature of ecological systems, Beyond the War on Invasive Species closely examines the factors that are largely missing from the common conceptions of invasive species, including how the colliding effects of climate change, habitat destruction, and changes in land use and management contribute to their proliferation. There is more to the story of invasive species than is commonly conceived, and Beyond the War on Invasive Species offers ways of understanding their presence and ecosystem effects in order to make more ecologically responsible choices in land restoration and biodiversity conservation that address the root of the invasion phenomenon. The choices we make on a daily basis—the ways we procure food, shelter, water, medicine, and transportation—are the major drivers of contemporary changes in ecosystem structure and function; therefore, deep and long-lasting ecological restoration outcomes will come not just from eliminating invasive species, but through conscientious redesign of these production systems.

This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

This book is the first comprehensive global review of all aspects of alien plant invasions in protected areas. It provides insights into advances in invasion ecology emanating from work in protected areas, and the link to locally relevant management support for protected areas. The book provides in-depth case studies, illuminating interesting and insightful knowledge that can be shared across the global protected area network. The book includes the collective understanding of 80 ecologists and managers to extract as much information as possible that will support the long-term management of protected areas, and the biodiversity and associated ecosystem services they maintain. “This outstanding volume draws together pretty much all that can be said on this topic, ranging from the science, through policy, to practical action”. Dr. Simon N. Stuart, IUCN Species Survival Commission, UK. "This important and timely volume addresses two of the most serious problems affecting biodiversity conservation today: assessing the extent to which protected areas are impacted by biological invasions and the complex problems of managing these impacts. Written by leading specialists, it provides a comprehensive overview of the issues and gives detailed examples drawn from protected areas across the world". Professor Vernon H. Heywood, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, UK

The central concept guiding the management of parks and wilderness over the past century has been “naturalness”—to a large extent the explicit purpose in establishing these special areas was to keep them in their “natural” state. But what does that mean, particularly as the effects of stressors such as habitat fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, pollution, invasive species, and climate change become both more pronounced and more pervasive? Beyond Naturalness brings together leading scientists and policymakers to explore the concept of naturalness, its varied meanings, and the extent to which it provides adequate guidance regarding where, when, and how managers should intervene in ecosystem processes to protect park and wilderness values. The main conclusion is the idea that naturalness will continue to provide an important touchstone for protected area conservation, but that more specific goals and objectives are needed to guide stewardship. The issues considered in Beyond Naturalness are central not just to conservation of parks, but to many areas of ecological thinking—including the fields of conservation biology and ecological restoration—and represent the cutting edge of discussions of both values and practice in the twenty-first century. This bookoffers excellent writing and focus, along with remarkable clarity of thought on some of the difficult questions being raised in light of new and changing stressors such as global environmental climate change.

Invasive, nonnative plants are recognized as a significant and growing threat to natural ecosystems worldwide. Invasive plants disrupt natural conditions by changing the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the areas they invade. This often leads to changes in communities of native species, shifts in ecological interactions, alteration of large scale ecosystem processes, and ultimately, a reduction in native biodiversity. Although wilderness areas are widely valued for their native flora and fauna and intact natural processes, these core aspects of wilderness are susceptible to, and increasingly threatened by, nonnative plant invasions. Most wilderness areas contain at least some invasive plants. In many wildernesses, invasive plants are already altering natural conditions. In addition to preventing new invasions and mapping and monitoring existing invasions, wilderness and other natural area managers are now faced with the complex problem of deciding how, when, and where to control such invasions. Controlling invasions in wilderness settings can be controversial, especially in Congressionally designated wilderness. The Wilderness Act of 1964 [Public Law 88 577] states that wilderness should be "protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." However, the Act also mandates that wilderness be "untrammeled," or unmanipulated. Based on this language, wilderness areas historically have been managed in ways that minimize intentional human intervention. The increasing spread and impacts of invasive, nonnative plants, along with the fact that most known control efforts are intentionally manipulative, and that invasions in the absence of control will continue to decrease the naturalness of wilderness ecosystems, are leading to new challenges and conflicts in how to manage for and preserve natural conditions. Federal policy mandates that agency management decisions consider the best available science. This requires managers to be aware of current research regarding the ecology of invasive plants as well as available management options. Gathering the background information needed to properly manage invasive plants can be a formidable task. This is a large and rapidly expanding field, and the sheer volume of research and the number of disparate literature sources in which it is published can be overwhelming. To facilitate an understanding of this topic, and ultimately the ability to make informed management decisions, we have compiled an annotated reading list that covers those aspects of invasive plant ecology and management most relevant to wilderness and other areas managed for their ecological values. Our intent is to (1) promote an improved understanding of the ecology and impacts of invasive plants, (2) to familiarize managers with current literature on various management approaches, and (3) to facilitate access to relevant references.