Through my argumentative definition I am going to try to validate the sentence: Invasive non-native species are not environmentally friendly because they pose an overpopulation problem as well as other problems. I am going to try to make my definition clear enough so that by the end of my argument it will be obvious that this claim is valid. First I will set my claim up in an even simpler form:

Invasive non native species pose an overpopulation problem as well as other problems.

Therefore, invasive non native species are not environmentally friendly.

To start my argument I will define ‘invasive non-native species.’ This term can be broken down into simple definitions and then reconnected for the full understanding. Invasive is an adjective that mean the tendency to spread, weather it be cancer invading healthy tissue or plants invading a habitat to the detriment of a native species. Invasive species are highly adaptable and generalized, which are introduced to environments already impacted by human activities. Therefore, the species that is invasive also has a tendency to thrive in the area which it invaded. For a species to actually become invasive, the introduced species had to be able to put compete native species, in order for the species to reproduce effectively enough to start spreading geographically through its new habitat, and to negatively impact the ecosystems in its introduced range. The majority of non-native species do not cause significant ecological change or environmental harm; such species may not be considered ‘invasive’.

The next section of this term that I will define is non-native. Non-native is defined as not indigenous to a particular area; foreign; invasive, as defined before. A non-native species has to be introduced to the area by some means. This introduction can be intentional or unintentional. British settlers would bring plants and animals from their homeland and release them into the wild in order to make the new area feel more like home. An example of an unintentional release was the rats that came from England on the ships when America was settled. Invasive non-native plant species can spread in many ways, which makes controlling the species more difficult; wheatear the introduction was accidental or international. Many of the invasive non-native plants species have been spread because of deliberate introduction. The species was introduced for its agriculture or ornamental gardening value. There are also many unintentional introductions, either through planting of impure seed mixes that contain the invasive non-native species, or by getting stuck on vehicles or in cargo.

The final and easiest term to define is species. A species is a group of plants or animals having similar appearance or having the same rank in a taxonomic classification, below both family and genus. Recombining the different terms of invasive non-native species the term can be defined as a group of plants or animals that are not indigenous to an area spreading in that area.

Next, I am going to define environmentally friendly in order to show that the impact invasive non-native species have on area is not environmentally friendly. The term environmentally friendly usually refers to services, goods and/or practices that do little or no harm on the environment. Therefore if something is not environmentally friendly it has negative impacts on the environment. The term environmentally friendly has been coined for product advertising and packaging in order to promote sale. The term can also mean “being friendly to the environment” such as recycling or by being green. Some examples of environmentally practices are integrated pest management or biological pest control instead of traditional pesticide use. Recycling and composting are also more environmentally friendly than burning trash. Foods that are grown organically and sustainable agriculture are other examples of environmentally friendly practices.

Now that I have defined invasive non-native species and environmentally friendly I am going to show that these species are not environmentally friend because of the problems they create. Invasive non-native species can alter ecological relationships among native species and can affect ecosystem function, economic value of the ecosystem and human health.

Invasion by non-native species can negatively impact ecological systems in many ways. Approximately 80% of endangered species suffer losses due to competition with or predation by invasive species world wide. With the introduction of invasive non-native species, native species are put at a distinct disadvantage to survive. There are many examples of decreases in biodiversity in areas where invasive non-native species are thriving since the invasive non-native species is over populating the area. Problems caused by invasive non-native plant species cost billions to the global economy every year, mainly from loss of grazing land and reduced crop productivity. The cost to the United States alone is an estimated $137 billion a year in management and missed economic gain. In addition to these costs, economic losses can occur due to loss from recreational and tourism revenues. The actually calculated economic loss (production lasses and management costs) due to invasive non-native species are low because they due not usually consider the environmental damages. If monetary values could be assigned to the extinction of species, loss in biodiversity, and loss of ecosystem services, cost from the impact of invasive non-native species would drastically increase.

An example of a primary threat to biodiversity is the spread of human activity into once pristine areas. Land clearing and human habitation put significant pressure on local species and disturbed habitat is often prone to invasion by other non-native species that can have adverse effects on local ecosystems, by changing the ecosystem functions. The altered land is more hospitable to the invasive non-native species than the original plant palette. Sometimes, multiple successive introductions of different non-native species can have interactive effects, where the introduction of a second non-native species can enable the first species to thrive, turning the once non-invasive species invasive. The invasive species can even be a pre-existing species that has attained dominance from some sort of environmental disturbance. These ecological system impacts by invasive non-native species are harmful to the environment, which can then be termed not environmentally friendly.

Invasive non-native species can also change the functions of the ecosystem. Invasive non-native species that are closely related with rare native species have the potential to hybridize with native species. The harmful effects of hybridization have lead to the decline and even extinction of native species, further decreasing the biodiversity of the area. Ecologically, invasive non-native species can disrupt ecosystem services and disrupt communities by being space-dominant or through impacts on keystone native species. At their worst, invasive plants have the ability to degrade whole ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic. The decrease in biodiversity is harmful to the environment because if a particular species is dominate, it can strip the area of certain resources causing it harder to inhabit by other species. Greater biodiversity allows for resources to be used more evenly, which is more environmentally friendly.

Invasive non-native species can have drastic affects on public health and can contribute substantially to health care costs. There is an increase threat of exposure to exotic diseases due to increased transportation and encroachment into previously remote ecosystems that can lead to new associations between a disease and a human host. An example of this would be the AIDS virus. Further more, the introduction on invasive non-native species such as some birds, rodents and insects can serve as a means of transportation of the disease; some examples are malaria, yellow fever and the plague. The full impact of invasive non-native species and their control goes beyond the negative effects they immediately have on public health and can have long term health implications. For instance, pesticides applied to treat invasive non-native insect species could pollute soil and surface water. The negative impacts invasive non-native species have on public health is another reason why they should be considered non-environmentally friendly.

Invasive non-native species also have the capacity to disrupt the trade and tourism industries. There is the prospect of losing a competitive advantage in exports because unaffected countries will either prohibit import of goods from countries or establish costly precautionary measures. Invasive non-native species can have impacts on recreational activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, wildlife viewing, and water based recreation activities as well. They negatively affect a wide array of environmental attributes that are important to support recreation, including water quality and quantity, plant and animal diversity, and species abundance. Many invasive species have thorns and spikes than can prevent easy access by tourist to hiking trails. Aquatic invasive species affect water-based recreation by impeding human access, interfering with the operation of boats and fishing lines, lowering water quality, and negatively altering aquatic ecosystems, including the abundance and diversity of fishes.

Invasive non-native species due a lot of damage to the environment, everything from lowering biodiversity – through overpopulation, to raising production costs, to effecting public health, and the trade and tourism industries. As shown earlier thing that harm the environment are considered not environmentally friendly, there for invasive non-native species are not environmentally friendly.