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Open Access Embracing change: Invasive species and novel ecosystems

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This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY licence.

Combining ecological and socio-cultural analysis, we propose embracing the future-oriented concept of novel ecosystems. This perspective offers an alternative to the backwards-looking conservation attitude that uses metaphors of biological invasion, for example. With the case study of species whose range is shifting to include cities, we show that in a world of environmental novelty, effective conservation thinking must supplement narratives of invasive species with those about climate refugee species and novel ecosystems.

Keywords: conservation biology; invasive species; novel ecosystem; urban ecology

Document Type: Discussion

Publication date: May 1, 2024

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