Ecologists contend with the fact that many ecosystems we love and want to restore and rewild are in fact human-created ecosystems. Native plants in these systems are indeed native but selected by humans in human-created ecosystems. Which means insects, animals and other biota in those systems are influenced by humans.

We will never go back to pre-human ecosystems. Our world is shaped by our behavior. We depend on our world to survive. Our world depends on us to survive. We depend on each other to survive.

We are part of nature, we shape nature, we try to optimize it for our survival. We are natural beings. We are part of the world's ecosystems.

#Ecology #Ecosystems #NaturalHistory #IndigenousEcosystems #Restoration #Conservation

https://prairieecologist.com/2025/03/21/are-prairies-less-natural-because-they-need-us/