Impact over Origin: Rethinking management of introduced species in novel ecosystems

Debates in invasion biology often emphasize species’ places of origin, although humans have moved organisms for millennia and ecological baselines are historically contingent. Many ecosystems now exist in novel states where restoration to presettlement conditions is infeasible and introduced species are embedded in ecological function. Although a global phenomenon, this is especially evident in Florida, USA, where hundreds of introduced taxa coexist with natives amid rapid environmental change. We argue that long-established introduced species, particularly in human-dominated landscapes, should be managed according to feasibility and empirically evaluated ecological, economic, and sociocultural impacts rather than reflexive eradication based on origin alone. This approach does not discount severe harm from some introductions; instead, it advances a research-first framework centered on impact assessment, functional role evaluation, and feasibility-based triage to prioritize limited conservation resources. As ecological novelty becomes widespread, origin-based heuristics grow increasingly misaligned with ecological reality, and invasion governance must evolve accordingly.