« Too often, as soon as the word « invasive » comes up, all discussion shuts down and the saws, shovels and sprayers are brought out. As if just saying the word settles everything.

Consideration of context? Irrelevant. Exploring non-lethal options? A waste of time. Questioning the concept? Blasphemy!

But real world implications follow the taking of life (see above) so any school of thought that demands death should be subjected to rigorous scrutiny. We owe that to the plants, the planet and ourselves.

As it turns out, the claims of “invasion biology” are not as unshakable as some of its cheerleaders might lead one to believe. In scientific circles, a real, serious debate about its premises and implications has been going on since the field emerged in the mid-20th Century, and continues in the present day. »