Assisted Migration is the process by which a species is taken out of its natural habitat and transported into a new ecosystem. This is usually done in response to climate shifts, due to the release of harmful gases such as methane and carbon monoxide in the original habitat of the species that do not provide it with the proper conditions necessary for it to survive and perpetuate. Scientists will therefore transport them to an environment with suitable living conditions as in their original habitat in the hopes that they will be able to continue on and succeed as a species.
When I first read about this process I tried to understand both sides of the coin. On one hand, I believe that by using assisted migration scientists will be able to combat the rate of extinction and ensure that species that are on the verge of extinction may be able to continue on. After all, there inability to cope with changes to their environment was all due to the releases of harmful gases by humans. However, on the other hand, as in Rewilding, there is no way to accurately predict the consequences that it may have on both its original habitat and the environment that it is introduced into. For instance, what if it acts as an invasive species to its new ecosystem and drives out native species or if it causes an unbalance in its native ecosystem and causes another species to go extinct as a result. These are all consequences that must be taken into account before assisted migration is conducted. Maybe we should just let nature and evolution take its course and refrain from interfering with the outcome of species. We should compel the species to adapt on their own to survive in their ecosystems.
Emma Marris, in chapter 5 of the “Rambunctious Garden,” touches upon this topic and provides certain examples that show the positive effects that assisted Migration may have. For example, she discusses the benefits it may have with a pika, which is an animal that lives in the mountains because they can only survive in cold temperatures. As there are shifts in the temperature patterns and the climate cools down they must move further up the mountain to provide for a livable environment. As you go further and further up the mountain there is less space and eventually they will run out of room and likely go extinct due to changing conditions. By using assisted migration, pikas can be transported to an environment where there population may be able to live and thrive.
Although assisted migration may be accompanied by many positive effects, I believe that it can also have many negative consequences, and therefore is not something that should be taken lightly. I believe that when it is absolutely necessary to save a species assisted migration should be used, however it must be accompanied by a detail analysis outlining the possible effects that may come along with it. The Puth and Burns article made it clear that over the years there was a decline in species richness throughout the Metropolitan area, and although we may use assisted migration to help the populations of certain species thrive, I believe that it should not be used unless proper research is done and the benefits will definitely outweigh the consequences.
