Social Dimensions of Invasive Plant Management

Social Dimensions of Invasive Plant Management

Author: Tara L. Callear

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13:

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Uncertainty pervades attempts to identify an efficient management response to the threat of invasive plants. Sources of uncertainty include the paucity of data, measurement errors, variable invasiveness, and unpredictable impacts of the control methods. Rather than relying on this uncertain evidence from the natural sciences, land managers are taking a more participatory approach to invasive plant management to help alleviate risk and share the responsibility of implementation of proactive control and eradication strategies. This research is intended to contribute to this process of social learning by revealing the beliefs that determine stakeholder management preferences in a case study involving an infestation of Vicia cracca (bird vetch) affecting public lands, north of the Arctic Circle, along the Dalton Highway in Alaska. Possible encroachment of this “highly invasive” species upon vulnerable areas of high conservation significance in this rapidly changing, boreal-arctic system has motivated some stakeholders to advocate an aggressive, early response aimed at eradication using herbicides. This case study applies social-psychological theory in the study of the interactions between human behavior and human outcomes. Interior Alaska stakeholders were engaged in a survey to measure support for a scenario involving the use of herbicides to control the highly-invasive species, Vicia cracca (bird vetch), which has spread north along a road corridor north of the Arctic Circle. Respondents were asked a series of questions about the “likelihood” and “acceptability” of the possible outcomes. The survey results aligned with the expectation that attitudes predict management preference, however the beliefs that influence these attitudes were more complicated than expected. The results address the feedbacks anticipated between the human outcomes and human behavior in the social template within the broader system context that are critical to management success. The purpose is to utilize the results of this specific case study to facilitate the development of ongoing research questions that are generalizable to other affected boreal-arctic ecosystems, regionally and globally.


Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States

Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States

Author: Therese M. Poland

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-02-01

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 3030453677

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This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.


Biological Invasions in South Africa

Biological Invasions in South Africa

Author: Brian W. van Wilgen

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 972

ISBN-13: 3030323943

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This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.


Invasive Species Management

Invasive Species Management

Author: Michael Norman Clout

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-07-30

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0199216320

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Risk assessment, detection, control, legal, instruments, plants, animals.


Rangeland Systems

Rangeland Systems

Author: David D. Briske

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-04-12

Total Pages: 664

ISBN-13: 3319467093

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This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. This book provides an unprecedented synthesis of the current status of scientific and management knowledge regarding global rangelands and the major challenges that confront them. It has been organized around three major themes. The first summarizes the conceptual advances that have occurred in the rangeland profession. The second addresses the implications of these conceptual advances to management and policy. The third assesses several major challenges confronting global rangelands in the 21st century. This book will compliment applied range management textbooks by describing the conceptual foundation on which the rangeland profession is based. It has been written to be accessible to a broad audience, including ecosystem managers, educators, students and policy makers. The content is founded on the collective experience, knowledge and commitment of 80 authors who have worked in rangelands throughout the world. Their collective contributions indicate that a more comprehensive framework is necessary to address the complex challenges confronting global rangelands. Rangelands represent adaptive social-ecological systems, in which societal values, organizations and capacities are of equal importance to, and interact with, those of ecological processes. A more comprehensive framework for rangeland systems may enable management agencies, and educational, research and policy making organizations to more effectively assess complex problems and develop appropriate solutions.


Ecology of Weeds and Invasive Plants

Ecology of Weeds and Invasive Plants

Author: Steven R. Radosevich

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2007-08-31

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 0470168935

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The classic reference on weeds and invasive plants has been revised and updated. The Third Edition of this authoritative reference provides an in-depth understanding of how weeds and invasive plants develop and interact in the environment so you can manage and control them more effectively. The guide includes an introduction to weeds and invasive plants in various environments and an overview of their ecology and evolution. With extensive examples, this book: Focuses on the biological features of weeds and invasive plants, especially as they exist in agriculture, forests, rangelands, and natural ecosystems. Includes coverage of exotic invasive plants. Discusses a variety of methods and tools for managing weeds and invasive plants, including physical, cultural, biological, and chemical approaches. Examines systems approaches for management, including modern Integrated Pest Management. Addresses future challenges for scientists, farmers, and land managers. This is the definitive, hands-on reference if you're a land manager or professional in plant sciences, agronomy, weed science, and horticulture. The book is also an excellent textbook for senior undergraduate or graduate students studying agriculture, ecology, natural resources management, environmental management, or related fields.


Invasive and Introduced Plants and Animals

Invasive and Introduced Plants and Animals

Author: Ian D. Rotherham

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1134061951

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There have been many well-publicized cases of invasive species of plants and animals, often introduced unintentionally but sometimes on purpose, causing widespread ecological havoc. Examples of such alien invasions include pernicious weeds such as Japanese knotweed, an introduced garden ornamental which can grow through concrete, the water hyacinth which has choked tropical waterways, and many introduced animals which have out-competed and displaced local fauna. This book addresses the broader context of invasive and exotic species, in terms of the perceived threats and environmental concerns which surround alien species and ecological invasions. As a result of unprecedented scales of environmental change, combined with rapid globalisation, the mixing of cultures and diversity, and fears over biosecurity and bioterrorism, the known impacts of particular invasions have been catastrophic. However, as several chapters show, reactions to some exotic species, and the justifications for interventions in certain situations, including biological control by introduced natural enemies, rest uncomfortably with social reactions to ethnic cleansing and persecution perpetrated across the globe. The role of democracy in deciding and determining environmental policy is another emerging issue. In an increasingly multicultural society this raises huge questions of ethics and choice. At the same time, in order to redress major ecological losses, the science of reintroduction of native species has also come to the fore, and is widely accepted by many in nature conservation. However, with questions of where and when, and with what species or even species analogues, reintroductions are acceptable, the topic is hotly debated. Again, it is shown that many decisions are based on values and perceptions rather than objective science. Including a wide range of case studies from around the world, his book raises critical issues to stimulate a much wider debate.


Routledge Handbook of Biosecurity and Invasive Species

Routledge Handbook of Biosecurity and Invasive Species

Author: Kezia Barker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 1351131575

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This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of potentially dangerous infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive (alien) species, living modified organisms and biological weapons, from a multitude of perspectives. Issues of biosecurity have gained increasing attention over recent years but have often only been addressed from narrow disciplines and with a lack of integration of theoretical and practical approaches. The Routledge Handbook of Biosecurity and Invasive Species brings together both the natural sciences and the social sciences for a fully rounded perspective on biosecurity, shedding light on current national and international management frameworks with a mind to assessing possible future scenarios. With chapters focussing on a variety of ecosystems – including forests, islands, marine and coastal and agricultural land – as well as from the industrial scale to individual gardens, this handbook reviews the global state of invasions and vulnerabilities across a wide range of themes and critically analyses key threats and threatening activities, such as trade, travel, land development and climate change. Identifying invasive species and management techniques from a regional to international scale, this book will be a key reference text for a wide range of students and academics in ecology, agriculture, geography, human and animal health and interdisciplinary environmental and security studies.


Control of Invasive Species

Control of Invasive Species

Author: Marie Venner

Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 0309097746

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TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 363: Control of Invasive Species explores the extent to which state departments of transportation are identifying actions that affect the spread of invasive species, preventing introduction, tracking status and locations of "invasives" in a timely and ongoing manner, controlling found populations, restoring invaded habitats, conducting research, and sharing lessons learned. The report documents successful practices and lessons learned. It also synthesizes the state of the practice in developing Integrated (Roadside) Vegetation Management, along with physical, chemical, biological, and cultural control mechanisms.