Humans: The Worst Invasive Species?

If you own a home in south Florida, as I do, but also care about water quality, you are likely ambivalent about the downturn in real estate. Homes may be worth 20% less this year than last, but something had to give, as they say, with non-stop development of Florida wetlands and coastal regions. For the past 70 years, in just about any coastal part of the U.S., the fish have been getting the short end of the stick. As the scientists studying Lake Superior noted in a conference this week, human beings will continue to reproduce almost regardless of the health of their environment. So while worry about the threat of “invasive species” is well-placed, biologists like Mark Ebener of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, suggest that our biggest worry should be about rampant over-development of coastal ecosystems.