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The Current

War on invasive species wrongheaded, says author Fred Pearce

They crawl, they swim, they fly… they even take root, but we're convinced they're not supposed to be there. We live in a world where invasive species are an environmental red alert. But what if we're wrong? Author Fred Pearce aims to change the way you look at the great outdoors.
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Environmental journalist Fred Pearce makes the provocative case that when it comes to invasive species, we should live and let live and end the war on non-native intruders. (Brian Van Snellenberg, Flickr cc)
The Current25:14Embrace invasive species, don't vilify, says 'New Wild' author

As part of our season long project, Ripple Effect, we wanted to look at the ecosystem, and the plants and animals about, whose "ripple effects" we're often most concerned about.

Such as Invasive Spcecies.

Their arrival here is often the unforeseen consequence of some human endeavor  -- whether transnational shipping, experimental gardening, or even efforts to counter other unwanted organisms.

Fred Pearce's 'New Wild' credits zebra mussels for cleaning up Lake Erie, which had been so polluted it had been classified a "dead" lake. (Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources, Flickr cc)

And once invasive species arrive, governments and conservation groups often declare war on them.

But Fred Pearce thinks we are approaching these invasive species the wrong way -- that we should learn to accept and even embrace these non-native organisms.

Fred Pearce is an environmental journalist whose new book is titled, "The New Wild." He was in London, England.
 

This segment was produced by The Current's Marc Apollonio. 

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