The Untold Cost of Invasive Species
Jessicarose Thurber
Environmental Economics
EVSP201
Professor Ray Bartholomew
March 30, 2013
Imagine going on a day hike through your favorite forest. You take great pains to pack your gear, ensure you have adequate food and water for the day. You bring your camera and other gear to ensure you get photographs of the local forest. You visit this same place every few weeks, it is close to where you live and the scenery is amazing. There are ample opportunities to stop to enjoy just being outside. As you hike you enjoy the sound of nature, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blows, the sound of small lizards as they scurry across your path, agitating dry leaves in their wake. You listen for the
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The purpose was to create a program and coordinate assets of the federal government and state agencies to “control and minimize the economic, ecological, and human health impacts caused by invasive species (Bergman).” In addition to organizing and establishing federal policy in regards to invaders it defines what an invasive species is. Executive Order 13112 defines an invasive species as an “alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species typically harm native species through predation, habitat degradation and competition for shared resources (Cost of Invasive Species, US Fish & Wildlife).” By defining invasive species the order took strides to narrow the scope of non-indigenous species to those who are actively and aggressively pushing our native species out through monopolization of resources and other tactics. This definition takes pains to, therefore, exclude non-indigenous species to the United States who are not evicting indigenous species out of their native environment rather they are an almost welcome addition to our ecosystems. North American populations of the ring-neck pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, is a very good examples of this. They were introduced to the North American continent from Asia through settlers however, these species failed to become aggressive competitors to native species. Their populations remained controlled through natural predation
While reading different essays addressing the topic of nature, I came to the conclusion that they all shared the idea that being outside can make an impact in everyone no matter if you believe you only belong in a city or forest because it can bring you serenity and show you all the amazing things you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else. In Wendell Berry’s essay “An Entrance to the Woods,” he states that people can use the quiet of the woods to forget all their problems. Berry wrote “One is that, though I am here in body, my mind and my nerves too are not yet altogether here. We seem to grant to our high-speed roads and our airlines the rather thoughtless assumption that people can change places as rapidly as their bodies can be transported.” Nature has a way to transport ones mind and spirit elsewhere while the body is left behind on earth as we travel deep into thought. Adding on to that idea, the essay “A City Person Encountering Nature” by Maxine Hong Kingston the author explains that nature is a giver of peace and patience with its slow cycles that may frustrate people, but help keep a sane mind. Society is fast paced, making everyone feel that they need to keep the same pace in order to get things done, but we don't realize that although our bodies are moving and pushing, our minds are exhausted and cannot keep up with the fast pace. Kingston wrote “Preferring the city myself, I can better discern natural phenomena when books point them out; I also need to verify
Nature is the playground for every human. It is essential that we include nature in our lives; it keeps us on our correct path. However, if we dismiss ourselves from nature, we begin to stray from our correct path. We become engulfed in the distractions from the modern world . The only approach to appropriate this quandary is to break our pervicacious ways and return to peaceful serenity known as nature.
Nature in its tranquility provides a calming sensation away from the buzzing city life. The ability
One environmental issue that the great lakes watershed has been exposed to is invasive species. An invasive species is any organism that is foreign to an ecosystem and causes harm (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). In ordered to be classified as foreign they do not have to be from a different country but they just must be a non-native to an established ecosystem. Some of the species travel at their own will but they primarily spread through human activities unintentionally. As we import and export goods, or travel, some uninvited species may ride along and travel to new places. Organisms can be stowed away in ships or products like wood. Some ornamental plants may
There are many alluring opportunities to witness nature, such as local trails and protected woods, but even a peaceful park or a backyard pond can produce such a feeling. As for me, I enjoy hiking the Appalachian Trail, the longest national park and a 2,200 mile stretch of elegant woodlands. From the summer of 2013, my father and I have established a tradition of taking two or three days to hike twenty mile sections of the trail. Though hiking the whole trail is unrealistic, the trips are most significant to me as a chance to hike, forgetting about homework, extracurricular activities, and other stressors. Admittedly, I am always reluctant to believe that climbing up rocky mountains with a twenty-five pound backpack will is a form of relief, but somehow, it always is. We typically sleep in hammocks, which allows
An invasive species is defined by Executive Order 122114. They are defined as an alien to the ecosystem, and the introduction of this species could cause or does cause economic or environmental damage or is harmful to humans (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). It is also important to understand that it is not just animals that can be an invasive species (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). Plants and microbes are also able to cause much harm (“What is an Invasive Species?” 1). Just how much harm do invasive species do though? Well it seems that these species are able to displace or eradicate native species, alter fire regimes, damage infrastructure, and threaten the livelihoods of people (“Invasive Species…..What are they and why are they a problem?” 1). In fact they are currently causing changes in
A species that are non-native to where they are located and are likely to cause environmental or economical issues; that is what invasive species are known for. They are transported through human activities such as trading; they may have been from the person’s clothing or from what they were travelling on and they can range from plants to animals. They are a problem as they threaten the lives of the native animals and damage our own economy. They are able to succeed in their environment as they normally had very few predators or competitors for resources, capability of living in different environments, and have high rates of reproduction and growth. One of these kinds of species would be the zebra mussels and the following will explain what
The Endangered Species Act was signed by President Richard Nixon and approved by the 93rd Congress on December 28, 1973. The overall purpose of the act is for the federal government to protect and recover species that are in jeopardy and the ecosystems upon which they depend on to survive and reproduce successfully. Protecting the 2,245 species that are either endangered or threatened and preventing future possible species from becoming endangered are the two main goals of the Endangered Species Act. Equally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service administrate and enforce the Act so that the
Tribal rights were Massively impacted by the Endangered Species Act. There is an order that clarifies and tells how American Indians are impacted by the Act and what is done for them about it. The order explains how federal government and American Indians are connected, also how the federal government is helping American Indians because of acts like the Endangered Species one. This Order further acknowledges the trust responsibility and treaty obligations of the United States toward Indian tribes and tribal members and its government-to-government relationship in dealing with tribes ( fws ) . U.S. can't just ignore the impact on the Indians that could create controversy. The Endangered Species Act effects American Indians lifestyle and what
An invasive species is a plant, animal, or fungi that is not native to a certain area. These species can cause great damage to an ecosystem, human economy, human health, and other species that are native to the area.
Influence on ecosystems range from human causes like the bulldozing of a forest to natural causes like a fire or a flood. In recent times, the introduction and spread of invasive species has transformed native communities rapidly and, in some cases, created irreversible damages. In the Earth’s history, changes have often occurred in the ecosystems. For example, glaciers and the retreat of glaciers cause wide-spread changes. However, although change is a constant in ecosystems, animals and habitats often cannot adapt to the rapid alterations of non-natural stresses. Harm to the environment from the introduction of invasive species occurs through changes in the habitat and declines in the native species. Invasive species
Invasive species should be left alone because Animals help produce crops. for example honey bees help pollinate our flowers, and basically will pollination does it makes plants stronger, and will make seed that will create more plants. Without honey bees we wouldn't have any honey. Us as humans usually use honey to
The convention on biological diversity is now putting the invasive species on judge for the decision on the trading of nonnative alien species from its natural environment to new area due to the issue and impact .
One of the top leading causes, that some people believe is the second cause of pushing animals to endangerment, are invasive species. It is known that, “Approximately forty-two percent of threatened or endangered species are at risk due to invasive species” (National Wildlife Federation). An invasive species is any kind of organism that is causing harm to the environment to where they are not native. They are able to grow and reproduce fast which encourages the spread of them. Unfortunately, this is another factor that can partially be blamed on people, but often unintentionally. In the methods that we travel there are many ways animals can smuggle themselves where they end up in the same destination as you. It is easy for animals that live in water to stow away in the ships’ ballast water. When cargo is packed and loaded by wooden crates it is simple for insects to bury themselves in the wood without a trace. People also get exotic pets, like a python, which ends up being more then they can handle, so they release them in the wild. There are many ways to which they extend their whereabouts, but what harm could say, one snake do in vast land?
The biodiversity effects of non-native invasive species have been described as “immense, insidious and usually irreversible” (Veitch and Clout, 2002). There is significant evidence proving that invasive species can cause severe economic, environmental and ecological damage (Mack et al., 2000). A lot of time and research has been devoted to dividing the world into regions with distinctive habitats and species. Numerous pathways, mostly anthropogenic, are breaking down these realms and facilitating the ecological and biological invasion of non-native species.