Throughout Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, Emma Marris discusses about the unachievable “pristine” ideal of an ecosystem in today’s world. In the last chapter, she describes seven goals that society and individuals should focus on in a collaborative effort to conserve and nurture nature—goals that may not always work altogether, but decided upon based on the unique situation.

The first goal Marris proposes is to protect the rights of other species—claiming, “all living things have intrinsic value” (154). Therefore, ecologists need to decide how to protect and save specific species.

The second goal Marris states is to protect charismatic megafauna. As “keystone species”, megafauna ultimately have a significant influence on understanding how an ecosystem functions and appears (156). However, this goal fosters some controversy since the argument of saving and protecting one species over the other is a very heated topic.

Marris mentions a third goal of decelerating the extinction rate by distributing resources to specific endangered species. This may be slightly probomatic since people groups have very different beliefs on which endangered species should be saved and protected.

The fourth goal Marris describes is to protect the genetic diversity in an ecosystem. The fifth goal mentioned is to “define and defend biodiversity” (the varied species within an ecosystem). This can be achieved through hydroseeding, gardening, and reforestation (among others). This is especially an easy goal many people can accomplish in their own backyards. Man-made bird feeders and private/public gardens help protect the local environment.

The sixth goal stated is to “maximize ecosystem services” to get as much human functionality out of the ecosystem. This means employing and applying policies such as financial incentives and taxes. While money is a great motivational factor, it unfortunately highlights an impression that one has the power to destroy and a superficial control over nature through money.

Finally, Marris describes the seventh goal as to safeguard the spiritual and/or aesthetic experience of nature. I especially agree with pursuing this goal because nature exists to be appreciated. Such beauty and unique-ness of an ecosystem is relaxing, comforting, mesmerizing, and, sometimes, indescribable.

Nature is not static—it is extremely fluid. It has been altering and changing for millions of years, and it will continue to constantly evolve. Society makes the mistake of defining ecosystems as something that is only beautiful when “pristine” and should be kept preserved for years to come. Hopefully, with these seven goals, individuals and groups in society work to conserve the fluidity of nature.

In chapter 8 of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, Marris dips into the topic of designer ecosystems. While restoration projects are too small “to capture complex processes” that have been lost, an ecosystem that is designed with a specific purpose and goals—“nitrogen reduction, sediment capture, or the maintenance of…species”—and exists simply to be functional (Marris, 125). While restoration ecologists cannot produce carbon copies of historic ecosystems, they use many artificial “shortcuts” to achieve a functional landscape they desire (125). From baskets to wires to chains, ecologists use such materials to create streams and “nooks and crannies for animals” (126).

Ecologists “admit that no one has ever been able to comprehend all the dynamics of any real ecosystem” (130). Therefore, complex and fully functioning designer ecosystems have yet to be built from absolute scratch with “no resemblance to any historical ecosystem” (130).

In chapter 9, Marris further explores the idea of working with what you already have and whatever works in nature. She discusses the possibility of a “hybrid future”— an ecosystem that is “part habitat, part active industr[y]” (133). Conservational efforts within urban, suburban, and rural societies build upon the idea of increasing nature’s usefulness and functionality. Marris cites Yellowstone as a “crucial part of an expanded model” (136). As protected areas with enforced rules, these environments become “anchors” of “conservation goals” (136).

Newly discussed ideas focus on areas in the industrial landscape that “are not active work sites”—wasted spaces that are “ripe for conservation” (144). Even idle spots such as the strips of land that borders highways are good candidates for ecosystems full of native flora. Hydroseeding (a mixture of various native seeds and water that is sprayed unto land) is being increasingly used on roadsides and highway medians. Marris’ suggestion of “fast-food restaurants and big-box stores” taking upon conservation projects (like hydroseeding self-sustaining plant species) on their idle spaces around their stores and shops is a great idea not only to impact nature on a positively grand scale, but also to get rid of maintenance costs and managing issues (145).

This idea of conservation projects is fantastic because it is a project that can be taken up by practically anyone in society. From community gardens, nature parks, balconies with plant boxes, to private home gardens and rural ranch lands, private citizens do not need to wait for any orders or response from the government. From wooden bird boxes and feeders to planting different species, individuals can easily set up their own conservation goals.

While the concept of human introduction is prehistoric, the understanding of an invasive species is much more recent. In chapter 6 of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, Marris describes it as a moved or non-native species that naturalizes and is able to reproduce in its new environment such that it “becomes a rowdy nuisance” (99). Some of these species include zebra mussels in the Great Lakes and pigeons in New York City.

Marris discusses whether or not invasive species are as bad and evil as the general society believes it to be. While it is generally argued that when a species invades, the “ecosystem collapses, species go extinct, and complexity and diversity are replaced with a monotonous and weedy landscape dominated by invaders,” an example within Rodrigues Island actually disproves this argument. With two types of songbirds and a fruit bat living on this island, almost all of these rare species became extinct because of deforestation. However, exotic species were used to reforest the island “for timber and erosion control” (98), and the rare native species began to regrow in numbers.

There are National Park Service teams that have “treated more than one thousand square miles” (100) and travel from park to park in the United States with a mission to destroy and remove any invasive species that is not native to the local area. While this may seem like a great idea to protect sensitive native species in danger of extinction, not every new species is harmful to their introduced environment. In fact, if new species show potential in helping diversify the environment in the future, they should not be removed. It seems to me that these strike teams are too focused on keeping ecosystems “prehistoric” or untouched.

Marris continues to negate the idea that invasive species are always a bad thing by explaining other factors that cause extinction of or harm to certain species. Many bird extinctions come from birds being killed, not via eating birds’ prey. Sometimes, introduced species may not automatically compete with native species or prey on unsuspecting natives. In fact, “invasive species” can contribute to an increase in diversity in ecosystems in the future. For example, Easter Island had around 50 native species before humans stepped on the island, but gained 68 new species thereafter.

Other than contributing to potential increase in diversity of species in an ecosystem, exotic species have positive benefits like removing toxins from the soil, regulating erosion, and controlling undesirable species.

In chapter 7, Marris discusses the idea of a novel ecosystem. A novel ecosystem is not necessarily an untouched piece of nature, but an environment that has been influenced by humans in the past, and then left on its own to go through changes without human interference. Marris briefly mentions that many ecologists consider novel ecosystems as not worth studying because they don’t find them as “pristine” as other ecosystems (112). Unlike some forgotten ecosystems, the High Line is a great example that has gotten a lot of restoring and revamping through Friends of the High Line. This public park stretches over one mile on the West side of Manhattan. Once a railroad for freight trains, this elevated structure was closed down and left to ‘run wild’ for a few decades, but has recently turned into a beautifully maintained and diverse environment.

Marris further supports the idea that exotic species are not detrimental to an environment by using novel ecosystems as an example. Many novel ecosystems, which are composed of many exotic/invasive species, actually function better than native ecosystems. Novel ecosystems have the most potential for supporting a diverse environment will continue to evolve and diversify many species—especially with the prospect of hybrid species.

After reading these two chapters, Marris has convinced me that exotic species can actually be beneficial to an ecosystem, and not as detrimental and harmful as the general society believes. Although humankind should be mindful of certain invasive species that may pose threat to specific native species, people must remember that not only is this pretty rare compared to initial beliefs, but also such a small possibility compared to many of its benefits. More ecologists should be interested in and focused on studying novel ecosystems.