Valuing the contributions of nonnative species to people & nature

While decision-making can benefit from considering positive and negative outcomes of change, over the past half-century, research on non-native species has focused predominately on their negative impacts. Here we provide a framework for considering the positive consequences of non-native species relative to relational, instrumental, and intrinsic values. We demonstrate that their beneficial outcomes are common and profoundly important for human well-being.

Sax, D.F., Schlaepfer, M.A., and J.D. Olden. 2022. Valuing the contributions of non-native species to people and nature. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37: 1058-66. Article