Many of the most damaging invasions do not simply subtract species; they fundamentally remodel the environment, altering habitats, rewiring interactions and shifting processes in ways that species lists alone cannot reveal.
Consider the goat, the horse or the deer, introduced to many islands around the world. While their voracious grazing can indeed drive native flora towards local extinction, the legacy is etched deeper into the land.
These invasive herbivores compact the earth, accelerate erosion, open up the undergrowth and modify fire regimes, scarring the landscape long after the herds are gone. These systemic changes threaten biodiversity just as profoundly as the loss of any single species.
