We have changed the world.  Humans, as a species, have been taking from the earth for centuries, without giving anything back.  As a result, today we face serious issues such as global warming and melting glaciers.  We have started something that may be irreversible and will ultimately hurt us.  Because of Human actions, many native plants in salt marshes have been replaced with new plants.  The question is, now that we, humans, have realized our detrimental effect on the environment, what can we do about it?  Should we attempt to regrow these plants, even though the environment has changed?  Is it even possible to change it back?

Nature has a way of providing checks and balances to everything that lives on this earth.  Whether it is a plant, an animal or insect, nature has a way of making sure that species of any kind do not monopolize the environment.  If we decide to incorporate the original plants to Salt Marshes, nature is not ready for the change.  Even if we experiment in a smaller, controlled environment, we still cannot foresee all the inadvertent changes reintroducing a plant would cause.  Instead of making the situation better, it could potentially disrupt the ecosystems of the marshes even more.  For example, if you introduced a new type of grass, you have to make sure that they do not encroach on another plant’s territory.  There are too many factors that cannot be predicted.

Another problem with restoring new plants into the ecosystems is all the complications that come with it.  When introducing a new plant, there is a process that needs to be followed.  First, if planting new seeds, precautions need to be enforced to prevent plants or insects from uprooting or eating the premature plants.  To disrupt the new ecosystems would not only require an unprecedented amount of foresight, but even with it, there is no way to fully predict the results.  While leaving the new plants might not be the alternative, replanting the old plants requires too many factors to uncertainty.