The list of disastrous invasive species is a long one....Kudzu, Purple Loosestrife, rabbits in Australia, Cane toads, Possum's in New Zealand, Zebra mussels in the great lakes...all have had huge impact.

I think the author's point about McDonalds is apt, except who the hell wants a world filled with McDonalds? (well, except fat people and McDonalds)

I have two environmental degrees and can tell you that a b.s. laissez fare attitude is exactly what has created so many of these problems. While it is damn hard to keep these things out, semantic arguments about "natural" and "non-natural" only obfuscate a simple point.

Unless you are prepared to deal with the disasters of a common denominator world ecology, it's way better to ensure that plants and animals that otherwise would never migrate, don't.

Kudzu, Purple Loosestrife, rabbits in Australia, Cane toads, Possum's in New Zealand, Zebra mussels in the great lakes...all have had huge impact.

A huge impact is not necessarily bad. Cyanobacteria had a "huge impact" on the Earth's atmosphere, polluting it with poisonous oxygen and killing off anaerobes by the ton... If you were the majority of life on Earth at that time you would say it was a disaster too, but because of that disaster we have oxidative respiration without which we would have much less diversity.

The biggest problem is that we (humans) always think we understand what is best, but we have no clue. There is no disaster life can't overcome, and what is a "disaster" is just your perception.

Change is good!

"There is no disaster life can't overcome, and what is a "disaster" is just your perception.

Change is good! "

Uh, change is not always so good. Right now the Asian long horned beetle is invading the trees in Worcester Mass. That is right on the edge of the New England forest which covers those states into Canada. Imagine Vermont without any maples, that is this beetle's primary food source. They could possibly wipe out most of our tree cover. They have no natural enemies because they came in on pallets from Asia.

Do you have any idea what a loss that would be to the economy of these states? no more maple syrup from VT and NH, no more leaf peeping tourism? Not only will it change the economy and terrain, but it will even effect our climate. These trees keep us cooler in summer, energy bills will even go up.

Sorry but I don't see an upside to not at least trying to combat the devastation.

Well that is a different issue. Of course it can be bad for the economy, or "bad" for certain organisms in the short term. But over the long term it is neither bad nor good. Look at it this way, it is great if you are an Asian long horned beetle. It is a matter of perception.