tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35345193.post8043489559404617188..comments2024-03-28T00:37:57.853-04:00Comments on Invasive Notes: Invasive species issues & the danger of being controlled by dogmatic ecological paradigmsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344619456024544621noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35345193.post-62111160692359859232010-01-18T21:03:20.354-05:002010-01-18T21:03:20.354-05:00"However, the wicked inconvenience of invasiv..."However, the wicked inconvenience of invasive species is not the introduction of exotic aliens to ecosystems, but rather the danger of being controlled by dogmatic ecological paradigms based upon dichotomous assumptions superimposed upon the systems of nature that does not have goals and expectations".<br /><br />This is a great sentence. I'm not wholly sure I agree with your philosohpy, but it is a great sentence nonetheless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35345193.post-57403745315350071342009-10-05T17:07:06.939-04:002009-10-05T17:07:06.939-04:00Interested to see your reference to the dualistic ...Interested to see your reference to the dualistic nature of Western Culture, yes, no, black white..when all is continuum, in flux.<br /><br />Your original contribution is to clarify for us, that we must accept dynamic equilibrium in natural systems, but that once we have overstressed such systems, we cannot just throw up our hands, but must try to reestablish equilibrium at a different point.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11648992524079593966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35345193.post-38580647926605462312009-09-26T22:22:25.158-04:002009-09-26T22:22:25.158-04:00I read your blog and this entry with much interest...I read your blog and this entry with much interest. This is really a fascinating and difficult subject.<br />Two comments: I garden professionally in Marin County and read the IJ article you linked to. The newspaper erroneously noted that Pampas grass and French broom are still cultivated in the horticultural industry. The Pampas grass sold on the market is sterile. French broom is not allowed to be sold, but other non-invasive broom are sold. Many people confuse these as, esp. the Grass, is a look-alike.<br />My other thought: I have often wondered, especially in the West, how much our suppression of fire, a natural phenomenon in the west's ecology, has helped along these invasives. For instance, one of the worst 'invasive' is our Sudden Oak Death, caused by a fungal pathogen. Oaks are naturally resistant to fire, especially low grade fires. Native American used fire for many reasons, and especially to help the acorn crop. They also 'weeded' around the oaks. Without our natural fires, I feel that fungal pathogens are allowed to build up in the soils. In addition, our native bunchgrasses are resistant to fires, whereas the annual grasses that cloth the hillsides of California now are not. <br />I understand the idea you present of our dichotomous assumptions and I agree. But we need to take all this to a much deeper level, for we are trying to control i.e. manage ecosystems based on our extremely limited knowledge. This applies to wildlife as well as plants as you note. In Australia, the biologists have finally realized that their aborigine companions knew how to manage the land and did for 50,000 years whereas the whites mucked it up royally in just 200 years. They now are forming partnerships between aborigines and biologists in land management.<br />Very complicated issue. Love your writing and the blog. Thanks.Lesliehttp://thehumanfootprint.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com