CONDON’S CORNER
“Invasives” Reality Check: Negative Impacts on Biodiversity Negligible
[Published March 1, 2025, by The Daily Progress, the daily newspaper of Charlottesville, Virginia, and The News Virginian, the daily newspaper of Waynesboro, Virginia. ]
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| What appears to the inexpert eye to be “plant invasiveness” is actually plant succession, whereby alien pioneer plants better suited to growing well in the disrupted soil conditions created by man—as seen taking place here—have moved in to refurbish a razed natural area. |
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| A native Northern Cardinal finds sustenance by consuming the seeds from an Asian Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) tree in the author’s yard on a fall day. |
Before writing this article,
I saw yet another discussion on social media about woods being cleared for more
development. In Charlottesville and Waynesboro over the past few months, I’ve
been stunned by the absolutely enormous areas of red clay made visible by
bulldozers pushing down trees and other kinds of plants. And I’ve wondered how,
in the face of all this destruction of natural areas, does anyone believe the most
pressing problem for our wildlife can possibly be “invasive” plants?
This abundance of development
makes completely clear what the biggest problem is for the environment: too
many people on the planet—8.2 billion and increasing every moment. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
Although discussing our
booming numbers is considered impolite, if not taboo, it's vital for folks to
be made aware of the ensuing consequences of human overpopulation.
According to WorldAtlas.com
(a site that provides content about the environment and other subject matter),
human exploitation of resources —e.g., overhunting, overfishing, and poaching
endangered species—is responsible for a 37% loss in wildlife biodiversity.
Habitat degradation and alteration accounts for a further 31.4% loss, with
complete habitat loss being responsible for another 13.4%. These three causes comprise
the major reasons for wildlife depletion at almost 82%.
But what is the most
publicized explanation for wildlife losses? So-called “invasives”. Yet
“invasive” species rank fifth out of the seven major causes of decline in
wildlife populations worldwide, accounting for only 5.1% of the loss in
biodiversity. As this category includes nonnative animals, I suspect that nonnative
animals are the real problem rather than nonnative plants. Non-native animals
compete for space (habitat), whereas all plants provide environmental services
that assist wildlife. Only in rare instances might alien plants be problematic,
such as in wetlands.
Isn’t it time to focus on
problems that are far more impactful and solvable than removing “invasive”
plants that do assist wildlife to survive in degraded areas? Cats, for example,
are estimated to kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3 -22.3 billion mammals
annually in the United States.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380
If people truly care about
our wildlife, why has it been impossible to eliminate this longtime threat to
our critters? The answer: Thanks to vocal proponents of letting both pet and
feral cats roam freely, people are reluctant to take on this battle.
Whether it’s a private
individual who doesn’t want to make his neighbor angry, or politicians who
worry more about votes than doing what’s right for the greater good (wildlife
keeps the environment running properly), people find it easier to kill plants.
And, of course, they themselves may even agree with allowing cats outside.
Then there are the many other
aspects of human lives that people simply don’t want to change. Blaming plants you
don’t care about might be preferable to shutting off your outdoor lights that, during
warm weather, attract insects that should be mating, such as moths that have
declined precipitously,
Some folks give little
thought to all the animals they kill while driving and thus don’t limit their
trips out and about even though they could with better planning. They should
also consider the pollution of the soil and water caused by runoff of the gas
and oil that collects on roadways and parking lots.
And you might think people
would care about the pollution caused by vehicle exhaust, a leading cause of
climate change that affects both wildlife and people. You can drive by any
public school in your area before classes begin or end and see a long line of
cars waiting to get into or out of the school grounds, even though buses drive
by or close to these people’s homes twice a day.
Another serious threat to
wildlife is the use of pesticides around homes and businesses, not to mention
the pesticides employed in the war on so-called invasive plants.
You can, as an individual,
help stem the loss of wildlife by giving serious consideration to the actions
listed above and limiting how much you participate in them. If you truly care
about the future of the Earth and our lives upon this planet, you should step
up to the plate.
Contact local politicians and
make them understand the need to pass a law that demands that cats be kept
indoors. It should go without saying that anyone who truly cares about these
animals wouldn’t want them to be outside in cold weather (they originated in
warm-climate areas) and to be exposed to the dangers outside, such as being run
over by a vehicle or sickened by disease.
The problems are many, but obvious
and fixable. We just need folks to stop focusing on the 5% (alien plants and
animals they see as “weeds” and “vermin”, respectively) and start focusing on
the 95% (everything else) that truly damages the environment, leading to a
great loss of biodiversity.
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