‘Where Do Camels Belong?’ explores invasive species
Not all nonnative plants and animals may be guilty as charged, ecologist says
Where Do Camels Belong?
Ken Thompson
Greystone Books, $17.95
Invasive species are the outlaws of the ecological world. They move in and muck up ecosystems, sap natural resources and muscle out respectable natives. The U.S. government spends billions of dollars each year to combat these rowdy aliens, and yet they keep on coming.
But many nonnatives get a bum rap, says Thompson, an ecologist at the University of Sheffield in England. In his engrossing book, he examines the evidence for the accusations leveled against these outsider species and finds that most don’t deserve the bad press.