Why is Sustainability Important?
The takeover of habitats by invasive species has become a major sustainability issue globally. Due to the increase in invasive species, ecologists, conservationists, and land managers are beginning to take more interest in the impacts of these species (Gordon). Invasive plant species are able to alter habitats drastically through erosion, decreasing specie diversity, and depleting the presence of native species (Gordon). Erosion rates have increased with the enlarged presence of invasive species in numerous habitats (D’antonio). Invasive species typically have shallower roots than native species, allowing for erosion to happen easily (Pejchar). Erosion leads to water contamination, fewer native plant species, and exposed soil (D’antonio). Currently in the United States, there are approximately 50,000 invasive plant species (Pimentel). Invasive species are threatening diversity in several habitats from their dense population, which reduces the population of native species in the habitat. Each organism in a habitat relies on another organism to survive, so if one specie is reduced due to invasive species, the reliant species will also begin to decrease. With different aspects of the food chain being exhausted, this is allowing for diminished biodiversity. Forty-two percent of the native species listed as threatened or endangered are a result of invasive species (Pimentel). Efforts are being made to restore native species to their habitats, which is an expensive task. In the United States, nearly $120 billion is spent per year to restore environments that have been damaged by invasive species (Pimentel).