Beware the invasive species!

click image for full-view of small text re: wetland invasive plant, michigan.gov/invasives

On this early afternoon at the end of August in west Michigan on Reeds Lake there is a new colorful sign to teach (how to put in/take out boats), to warn (don't remove it or else it could travel), and to identify (description and photos) the offending invader, the European Frog-bit, a white flower with 3 oval petals that forms carpets of cover on the water, thus harming the native species. The state government website for the whole menagerie of invasives is given at https://michigan.gov/invasives.

 Recently a book-length account was published of Great Lakes harm caused by generation after generation of carelessness, disregard, lack of political will, greed and other human frailties. See
Lake Invaders: Invasive Species and the Battle for the Future of the Great Lakes (Great Lakes Books Series, Paperback – April 4, 2016) by William Rapai. Perhaps there have been unintended imports that had no sustenance or faced too many predators, and therefore have disappeared. But there have been many other non-native species of plant and animal that thrive in a place with the same or fewer predators to their home territory, and with ample sources of food, these have multiplied and left less food for the native species of plant and animal.

The definition of what is native and what is introduced, imported , or in-bred with local lifeforms will depend on the timescale: something that is gradual is "natural" according to one interpretation, allowing some reaction and accommodation over the course of many generations. But something that is sudden, abundant, and catastrophic in effect on local habitat and creatures is "unnatural."

While the scale and interconnectedness of the Great Lakes makes the invasion by (harmful) plants and animals more dramatic and perhaps more far-reaching in scale of consequence, given the restlessness of humans and their machines, it is likely that similar invasions are going on around the face of the planet. Sadly, most people do not take a personal interest in preventing or in addressing the harm that is ongoing at present. It is far easier to consider such things as pertaining to official authorities of city, county, state, or nation (or internationally). Individual businesses, too, are unlikely to see themselves as contributing to problem or solution, even when the mid-term or long-term results will affect their customers and clients. Invasive species, the thinning or disappearance of barriers, boundaries, and divisions is something that affects rich countries, middle-income, and the poorest governments and populations, too. It is a problem with current consequences and also far reaching ripple effects for those who follow.

Problems that are pervasive, large-scale, and slow-moving seem to exceed the ability of individuals and organized governments or corporations to take responsibility for. Besides invasive species, there are things like epidemics (or pandemics; also endemics: malaria, tropical disease, anti-vaccination), as well as climate change to contend with. How can these long and wide problems be grappled with?