“INVASIVE” SPECIES
“Invasive Plants”: Immigrants Who Nice People are Allowed to Hate
Xenophobia infects perceptions of ecology
When I first started hearing the rhetoric of the “invasive plant” narrative in the early 2000s, I was living in the progressive bastion of Portland, Oregon. I was taken aback by the vitriol being dished out by people who were otherwise prided themselves on being accepting and nonjudgmental. I concluded that many secularists, lacking a religious dogma, needed a Devil to hate, and “invasive plants” fit the bill.
I find that conclusion overly simplistic now, but it certainly contained a big nugget of truth. Through my research into the topic of “invasive plants” over the last few years — which has included a deep dive into the scientific literature, my own field observations, and many discussions with other people with varying views on the subject — I’ve come to see that the “invasive plant” narrative is more a product of culture than it is of science.
Please note my use of the word, “narrative,” which I’ll be unpacking in a minute.
The “invasive plant” narrative goes something like this: bad plants from somewhere else are harmful because they’re from somewhere else. They out-compete natives. (Some say because they reproduce faster.)…