Valuing Novel Ecosystems

Learning to appreciate novel ecosystems will take practice and, as we argue in this chapter, perhaps some new approaches to valuing them. The challenge is not in learning to value novel ecosystems for the first time. After all, as Jackson (Chapter 7) notes, novel ecosystems are nothing new. Significant new ecological assemblies have arisen throughout the past. What is different now is the pace and extent of such changes. Perring and Ellis (Chapter 8) argue that novel ecosystems comprise between 28% and 32% of the ice-free land surface. Some of these ecosystems have been with us for millennia (e.g. agricultural and urban transformations); those anthropogenic landscapes have been valued by people for a variety of reasons. Think of the Italian countryside: verdant hills dotted with vineyards , small farms, winding narrow roads and modest towns. This is a landscape celebrated for its cultural history, aesthetic qualities and the services procured by anthropogenic ecosystems. There are no shortage of values that people attach to such landscapes and the ecosystems within, and these values in turn shape how people restore and intervene in ecosystems as well (Hall 2005). Novel ecosystems, as defined in this book, are appreciated by many and largely elicit little controversy. Not so for most ecologists, natural historians and lovers of wild nature. They worry about irreversible biodiversity losses, uncontrolled species invasions, unpredictable effects of rapid climate change and continuing land conversion from wild to productive ecosystems. Focusing on novel ecosystems, some fear, will shift an emphasis to ecosystem function and services perhaps at the expense of critical species, and is seen as tantamount to giving up the good fight for conservation values. Standish et al. (Chapter 37) chronicle some of these misapprehensions and persistent concerns , some of which will remain intractable issues well into the future. How will we come to terms with greater complexity in how we manage ecosystems, increased momentum for novelty for the sake of novelty, shifting cultural values about natural heritage and the hubris that may accompany an increased confidence in our ability to appropriately intervene in novel ecosystems?