This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The published version of this Preprint is available: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-025-00097-3. This is version 3 of this Preprint.

Cultural integration of invasive species
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Abstract
Many invasive non-native species gradually become embedded within local cultures. Such species can increasingly be perceived by society as familiar or even native elements of the social-ecological system and become an integral part of local cultures. Here, we explore this phenomenon and refer to it as the cultural integration of invasive species. Although culturally integrated species can positively contribute to people’s lives and well-being, and provide new or lost ecosystem services, their acceptance can also hinder the ability of conservation managers to successfully manage invasive species by reducing public support for their management. Cultural integration can infringe upon social values and cultural identities, and contribute to the erosion and homogenization of biocultural diversity. It can also modify or displace the cultural uses and values of native species, and may disrupt social-ecological legacies and dynamics. We present the main mechanisms of cultural integration, its drivers and major implications, and provide key recommendations for the management and conservation of biological and cultural diversity.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.32942/X25G81
Subjects
Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Health and Protection, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources and Conservation, Sustainability
Keywords
Alien species; biological invasions; cultural niche; non-native species; societal extinction., alien species, biological invasions
Dates
Published: 2024-09-03 03:22
Last Updated: 2025-06-29 19:20
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License
CC BY Attribution 4.0 International
Additional Metadata
Language:
English
Conflict of interest statement:
None
Comment #173 Priscilla M Wehi @ 2024-09-08 11:18
Kia ora Ivan and team, lots of really interesting stuff in here. Thank you for your work. I thought there was oportunity to weave more awareness of how the process of cultural inception might affect Indigenous peoples and local communities, including how colonisation has reduced populations of other (native) harvested plants and animals. There is quite a lot of literature from the Pacific region around this, eg from Hawaii and Aotearoa New Zealand. Studies include work on the cultural value of kiore, the Pacific rat in part of NZ https://www.publish.csiro.au/PC/pdf/PC20094, but also work by Kamelamela on introduced plants in Hawai'i.