Understanding Invasive Species

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to our readers. This week’s tip was written by Nika Nazarizadeh.

When a pet gets to be too much of a hassle, or there isn’t enough space for them in a new apartment, some people get the idea to set them free within the wild. After all, that’s their natural habitat, right?

Well, releasing a non-native species can be much more harmful than one might think, and is almost always a very bad idea.

An invasive species is any animal or plant with no natural predator that is introduced into a new ecosystem. Without predators, invasive species naturally thrive, reproduce and expand their population.

The problem, of course, is that when they do so, they destroy or capture an inordinate share of resources from native species. As a result, invasive species often result in the extinction of a variety of native plants and animals within the ecosystem. One of the most common examples is when people let saltwater fish out into the ocean.

The lionfish has become one of the most common invasive species. The fish is native to the Indo-Pacific region. So, when the species—which regularly consumes a volume of other fish twice their size—was introduced to South Florida, it caused extreme stress on Atlantic coral reefs and made it significantly harder for native fish to survive.

Spread of invasive species is not exclusive to getting rid of old pets. Common sources include carrying algae on hiking boots, wearing the same shoes somewhere else without cleaning them or adding new plants to your garden without doing prior research on their history.

The best way to avoid contributing to invasive species is through research. Start by understanding which plants and animals are native to our Palisades ecosystem. Then, in addition to not releasing pets, take extra steps to ensure you don’t travel with insects, like pests that may hide in fruits or firewood.

Doing our part to stop the spread of invasive species can help preserve the Palisades for future generations.