Hi all
One of the traps in the study of ecology is the tendency for people to take sides, divide species into good and bad categories -- invasive, native, beneficial, pests, etc. -- without thinking about where these values come from. On the other hand, we should ask:
> ... whether eradication of an invasive species leads to recovery of a former system. We need such information to assess whether the removal of an invasive species is likely to recover a desired ecosystem state or whether it will instead lead to colonization by new invasive species. 

> In some cases, invasive species may actually facili- tate native species. Furthermore, simple small-scale removal experiments overlook complex ecosystem interactions and even if they are successful, this may not translate to larger spatial or temporal scales. 

> Generally, control programs have not thus far been that suc- cessful, as reported for an overview of programs in the United Kingdom. The point is that socio-ecological systems are complex adaptive ones, which do not necessarily change in a "predictable, linear, incremental fashion." -- Brendon M. H. Larson

¶

In other words, attempts to "restore natural balance to ecosystems" may be misguided, unattainable, not cost-effective, -- even backfire. The outcome of such experiments is hardly a forgone conclusion.

PLB

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