Of cecropias, snarks and boojums
We reply to Webber et al. (2011). Our study, Sheil and Padmanaba (2011), was a preliminary assessment of the alien Neotropical tree Cecropia around Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. We highlighted the need for low-cost assessment approaches for addressing alien species and considered what might be achiev...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
2011
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20960 |
| _version_ | 1855516322489696256 |
|---|---|
| author | Sheil, Douglas Padmanaba, M. |
| author_browse | Padmanaba, M. Sheil, Douglas |
| author_facet | Sheil, Douglas Padmanaba, M. |
| author_sort | Sheil, Douglas |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | We reply to Webber et al. (2011). Our study, Sheil and Padmanaba (2011), was a preliminary assessment of the alien Neotropical tree Cecropia around Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. We highlighted the need for low-cost assessment approaches for addressing alien species and considered what might be achieved by local actors with limited resources. We successfully characterised the local distribution of Cecropia and identified, addressed and illustrated various concerns. Based on these results we asked how such studies might be useful and how they could be improved. Webber et al. criticise our study but fail to engage with its goals. Certainly, low-input local approaches lack the sophistication and rigour of larger international efforts, but such comparisons are unhelpful. Aside from a number of misunderstandings, we find Webber et al.’s principal arguments overstated, and unsupported by published information. The evidence that Cecropia causes harm is unconvincing; species-level identification is overemphasised; and the insistence on completing detailed research before considering management options is problematic. We offer some positive conclusions and repeat our plea for the development of effective low-input methods for evaluating and addressing naturalised organisms. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace20960 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publishDateRange | 2011 |
| publishDateSort | 2011 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace209602025-01-24T14:12:04Z Of cecropias, snarks and boojums Sheil, Douglas Padmanaba, M. botanic garden landscaping alien invasive species threatened species cecropia We reply to Webber et al. (2011). Our study, Sheil and Padmanaba (2011), was a preliminary assessment of the alien Neotropical tree Cecropia around Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. We highlighted the need for low-cost assessment approaches for addressing alien species and considered what might be achieved by local actors with limited resources. We successfully characterised the local distribution of Cecropia and identified, addressed and illustrated various concerns. Based on these results we asked how such studies might be useful and how they could be improved. Webber et al. criticise our study but fail to engage with its goals. Certainly, low-input local approaches lack the sophistication and rigour of larger international efforts, but such comparisons are unhelpful. Aside from a number of misunderstandings, we find Webber et al.’s principal arguments overstated, and unsupported by published information. The evidence that Cecropia causes harm is unconvincing; species-level identification is overemphasised; and the insistence on completing detailed research before considering management options is problematic. We offer some positive conclusions and repeat our plea for the development of effective low-input methods for evaluating and addressing naturalised organisms. 2011 2012-06-04T09:15:21Z 2012-06-04T09:15:21Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20960 en Sheil, D., Padmanaba, M. 2011. Of cecropias, snarks and boojums . Plant Ecology & Diversity ISSN: 1755-0874. |
| spellingShingle | botanic garden landscaping alien invasive species threatened species cecropia Sheil, Douglas Padmanaba, M. Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title | Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title_full | Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title_fullStr | Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title_full_unstemmed | Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title_short | Of cecropias, snarks and boojums |
| title_sort | of cecropias snarks and boojums |
| topic | botanic garden landscaping alien invasive species threatened species cecropia |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20960 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sheildouglas ofcecropiassnarksandboojums AT padmanabam ofcecropiassnarksandboojums |