Every Species Is an Invasive Species

Darwinism has no answers to ecological problems.
It’s time to bring back the Genesis Mandate.

 

Several articles in the mainstream science news have worried about the harm done by invasive species. At Bloomberg News on September 4, for instance, Liza Tetley worries that “Alien Species Threaten Food Supply, Public Health And Cost $423 Billion.” These worries are not without reason. Invasive species not only cause billions in damage to ecosystems, they also have a drastic effect on biodiversity and on human and animal health. Examples from the Bloomberg article:

• European shore crabs have damaged commercial shellfish beds in New England and Canada.
• Caribbean false mussels have displaced clams and oysters in the Indian Ocean.
• Mosquito species, migrating further north as the planet warms, have spread malaria, Zika and West Nile Fever to previously unaffected areas.

Cases like these could be multiplied. Some invasive species hitchhiked to distant lands, like the plague virus carried by fleas carried by rats on ships, or the tumbleweeds (Russian thistle) inadvertently introduced to America in bundles of flax seed. Others were brought with good intentions. Many know about the “cute but calamitous” rabbits brought to Australia that Phys.org calls “one of the globe’s most harmful biological invasions.” Australian opossums introduced to New Zealand have wreaked havoc on many of the island nation’s flightless birds. Burmese pythons that escaped from “pet” owners are multiplying in Florida’s Everglades and decimating native animals. And more recently, non-native grasses introduced to the Hawaiian islands are thought to have exacerbated the wildfires that killed hundreds of people and devastated large parts of Maui in early August 2023.

Four biologists at The Conversation say that the United Nations issued a report on the threat of invasive species. The biologists were co-authors.

Despite strong biosecurity measures, highly engaged primary industries agricultural industries, excellent research infrastructure and a high level of public awareness, invasive alien species continue to slip through our borders and multiply.

Hawaii has very strict rules to prevent snakes from hitchhiking to the islands on aircraft or boats. The fear is that snakes would multiply and kill many of Hawaii’s native birds. Similar threats require preventive measures. The biologists say it is time to act:

We encourage governments to recognise the threats invasive alien pests pose and mobilise their resources and capability to combat these threats – in regions where a species is first recognised as going rogue, rather than simply monitoring its progressive global spread.

What to Do? Call Darwin?

The desire to stop harm from invasive species is understandable, but the scientists speak as if taking action is a human responsibility. That would make sense if they were following the Genesis Mandate: a stewardship role the Creator gave to Adam and Eve to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26). This was not permission to exploit, but to manage as stewards. The Owner is God: “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). He created all the species that at first lived in harmony on a “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31). Humans were permitted to eat of the herbs and fruits (Genesis 1:29), but presumably good stewards would not eat all the grapes and leave none for the monkeys.

Does stewardship make any sense in the Darwinian worldview? Two evolutionary biologists writing at The Conversation on 5 Sept 2023 say, “It’s reassuring to think humans are evolution’s ultimate destination – but research shows we may be an accident.” We are accidents, in Darwinian thinking. Everything was an accident. Nothing was designed. Nothing was planned.

So ask: why care about invasive species? Do accidents care about other accidents? Who other than humans go to such effort to study other species, like a team in Hungary reported on Phys.org that has monitored with drones the behavior (and even individual names) of wild horses? Who makes the effort to learn that large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay, like a team at Aarhus University found while studying elephants and buffalo in India? Who else argues that knowing this is important?

Only Humans Care About Invasive Species

A consistent Darwinist would have to agree that humans have no responsibility to act as stewards of the planet. “But we might all die!” a troubled materialist might scream. So what? Who cares? Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we all die, and there are no eternal consequences for anything humans do. No Owner will judge us for a bad job. Lots of species have gone extinct. So what’s different now? “But we are accelerating extinction rates!” another troubled materialist might weep. Again, so what? Who cares?

There seems to be a yearning in every environmentalist’s heart to return to our initial stewardship role. Yes, we should care. We should fight extinction and biodiversity loss. We should be better managers and stewards of the biosphere bequeathed to us. You won’t find any such mandate in The Origin of Species, but you will find the Bible talking about the imago Dei or image of God. This gift was given to humans alone. Every human being is born with it, tarnished though it may be. It is spoken of as “light” given to everyone through the Word made flesh (John 1:1-14). The light includes reason, responsibility and religion: the inner knowledge that a Creator exists who we are responsible to. Our Creator also equipped humanity—and only humanity—with bodies to carry out the mandate: large brains, intellect, emotions, will, hands, upright posture, and speech. Humans alone can work together toward the common good.

Darwin’s worldview expressed the opposite.

In fact, the full title of Darwin’s paradigm-shifting book, On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection and the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, exalts struggle and favoritism. That’s why so many early Darwinians were “scientific racists,” because Darwin had taught them in his second bombshell book, The Descent of Man, that some human “races” were more evolved than others, and would doubtless exterminate the weaker races in time. This was the nature of nature. This was the “law” of the jungle, and the Eugenics movement took it to genocidal degrees. Here are some principles we can extract from Darwin’s worldview:

• Every organism is in a struggle for existence.
• Only the “fittest” survive to reproduce.
• The fittest (those that survive) are favored by nature.
• No organism owes anything to other organisms.
• Everything that happens is accidental.
• The Stuff Happens Law rules the biosphere until the sun burns up the Earth.
• There is nothing good. The “common good” has no meaning.
• Nobody cares.

Environmentalists who are Darwinians need to be consistent. This is the world Darwin gave his disciples. If they don’t like it, maybe they should consider becoming Christians, where they will find a rational foundation for caring about other species. Bible believers know they have a responsibility to be good stewards of creation, and that we’re doing a very lousy job. The imago Dei includes a conscience. Without a conscience, environmentalism is dead.

This Goes for Climate Alarmism, Too

Strangely, the alarmists don’t seem to connect the dots. In The Conversation again (5 Sept 2023), two scientists try to explain “Why we won’t be able to prevent climate breakdown without changing our relationship to the rest of the living world.” Seven times these far-left climate alarmists preach about what their fellow humans should do and “need” to do.

Whether or not one agrees with their unworkable, draconian measures (eliminating all fossil fuels and drastically cutting back on agriculture), their imago Dei is speaking. If they want authority to preach, let them quote chapter and verse of Darwin’s Origin for justification to tell their fellow apes what to do. If they were consistent materialists and evolutionists, they would sing, Que sera, sera. They would go for all the gusto (fitness?) they could get, and not give a hoot about anyone else. They might hoot like the apes they believe they are.

Some Darwinist will argue, ‘but evolution also teaches that cooperation is necessary for fitness of a species.’ Well, evolution also teaches that non-cooperators also evolve in the population, and whichever group (cooperators or cheaters/freeloaders) becomes more powerful becomes the new standard. If pirates multiply faster than merchant ships, a new regime evolves where piracy scores higher fitness. But ask again: who cares? Why do our minds militate against such unrighteous outcomes? Why do we grieve over man’s inhumanity to man? Why are we outraged at cruelty to animals?

The University of Southern California (USC) said on 6 Sept 2023, “Eco-grief is real — here’s what you can do about it.” This article again tells humans what they “need” to do. They need to help the depressed become climate activists to cure their “climate anxiety,” say these “experts.” Really? On whose authority? Darwin’s? ‘But we’re destroying the planet and might all die! That would be bad!’ they all say. Yes, so bad. Tough luck. Stuff happens. Nobody cares. Go back to the trees and give a hoot.

It’s highly unlikely the authors at USC are Bible believers. If they are Darwinians, which is most likely, let them be consistent. Quote chapter and verse from The Origin about why any of us should care. If a USC student decides to blow off their advice, indulge himself and drive a polluting SUV anywhere he wants, shoot endangered species for fun, sell drugs and love himself, then he is the fittest by definition if he has a lot of children. The freaked-out students suffering from eco-grief are getting all worked up for no justifiable reason.

Let’s Reason Some More

Environmental responsibility starts with a Biblical worldview, but it might end up differently than the Darwinian kind. For one thing, Christ followers know that we live in a cursed world that fell because of man’s sin. We can no longer say that everything is “very good.” But we must use human reason informed by Biblical morality to decide what to do in certain situations.

Christ followers also learn to regard selfishness as evil and charity as good. This is important to guide our reasoning. Then, and only then, can we begin to decide to do about Australia’s rabbits and Lake Superior’s zebra mussel problem. Then we can take precautionary measures to prevent invasive snakes from reaching Hawaii, and try to clear out the destructive pythons in the Everglades. We can pass laws preventing agricultural runoff from fouling streams, and instruct farmers how to achieve pest control without killing the Monarch butterflies.

Godly leaders can use reason and wisdom to prioritize actions. They can use reason and wisdom to persuade others, using the unique faculty of human language.

Not all invasive species are bad. Radboud University wrote on 4 Sept 2023 that “Invasive species are animals, too: considering a humane approach.” Cebuan Bliss, an environmental researcher at Radboud U, tries to be more logical about things in her contribution to the UN report.

‘Invasive alien species is a very negative label, considering that many of these animals are climate refugees, or victims of pet trade trafficking. It’s important to reframe how we approach the management of these animals,’ argues Bliss. She also emphasizes the importance of taking a long-term view when it comes to invasive species. ‘Ultimately, a growing number of animals cannot be eradicated and are here to stay, so we’ll have to learn to coexist with them. Rather than only considering animals that were present 200 years ago, we need a flexible approach that acknowledges ecosystems are dynamic and ever-changing. This is easier for us to comprehend with certain animals. When you’re talking about cats, for example, people care more, even though they are also often considered invasive given how many native animals they kill.’

Some introduced species have proven very beneficial. One can’t just slap the negative label “invasive species” on an animal that wasn’t around before. Some species migrate long distances on their own, becoming “founder populations” in new habitats. Evolutionists admit this happens. It’s part and parcel of their theories about biogeography.

Every Species Is an Invasive Species

Every species was once an invasive species. Bible believers infer that global invasion happened as the animals left the Ark after the Genesis Flood, but even evolutionists have to admit it invasion is common. When a new species “evolves” in Darwinian theory, it has to find a suitable habitat. Sometimes this involves long-distance migration to a new continent until a suitable ecological niche favored the species’ colonization. We speak of “native Americans” righteously as if they grew up like trees out of the ground, but they were not indigenous. They invaded North America after crossing the Bering Strait, possibly wiping out all the North American megafauna according to some theories. In subsequent centuries, descendant tribes invaded each other’s territory, often leading to bloody conflicts.

This has been the rule, not the exception. Evolutionists believe that human ancestors migrated “out of Africa” into Europe and Asia, disrupting ecosystems that had been evolving for hundreds of millions of Darwin years. Even in recent history, man slaughtered beaver for their fur in the 1800s, until more recently, biologists understood their value as ecosystem engineers. Darwinians believe in multiple mass extinctions, after which the organisms left behind invaded new habitats. It is not just theists who view every species as “invasive” in some sense. Only Bible believers can call any human behavior “bad” as judged by the standard of stewardship. If Darwinians believe human beings evolved by accident, then they must accept all human actions as amoral consequences of that accident, neither good nor bad. Stuff happens.

Wisdom Breeds Wisdom

Proverbs 8 teaches that God founded the Earth by wisdom. Earlier chapters in Proverbs strongly encourage youth to get wisdom. God is wise, and wants humans to be wise. Wisdom is an immaterial, moral quality available only to sentient beings possessing the image of God. Wisdom and reason did not evolve from “a monkey’s mind,” as Darwin’s horrid doubt shudders to contemplate.

Wisdom can be taught and strengthened by teaching, example, and experience. By wisdom, humans can approach the problem of invasive species, knowing that each case of “invasive species” needs to be evaluated on its own. Only humans were created with the ability to think, reason, and be wise. The animals don’t care, because they were not created to care. We should care, but must care wisely.

If you are a non-Christian environmentalist reading this, we have hope for you. But you need to abandon Darwinism, because it is hopeless. Only becoming reconciled to your Creator can offer a way out of what you perceive to be a global catastrophe. Start here.

If you took that step to follow the Maker’s operating manual and trust its message, now it’s going to take wisdom mixed with realism and logic to move forward. Study the operating manual (the Bible) regularly and learn its principles. Get with others who study it. The manual teaches that the Earth is the Lord’s, not ours, and He cares for it. But it is suffering under the curse of sin right now. We can (and should) alleviate as much of the suffering as we can, but things are going to get worse for awhile. They already did once, before the Flood, when the world was dramatically altered. And yet it is beautiful again in many places. This gives us hope that after another judgment to come, it is not the end of the story.

The end of the manual shows how sinful people, defying their Creator and cursing Him, will usher in unprecedented depths of human evil that God will judge fiercely with environmental catastrophes. But all is not lost, because a new world is coming in which righteousness dwells, and peace and equilibrium will be better than it was originally. So don’t give up hope.

This does not mean there is nothing worth doing now to help the environment. On the contrary, we express our unselfish love for our fellow humans by doing good: using science to cure disease and suffering, protecting species from extinction where we can, and worshiping our Maker with thankfulness for the good things that surround us. He made the pleasures and beauties of the world for us and for the benefit of all other creatures, too. It takes reason and wisdom to figure out how to be good stewards. What hills are worth dying on? What species must be saved, knowing that we cannot help them all? Should the invasive grasses on Maui have been obliterated before the fire, or should better construction regulations been put in place knowing the risk? I don’t know the answers in specific cases, but the Christian worldview—and not Darwin’s—provides a foundation for reasoning about the best solution for each situation.

So take heart. It’s possible to be a good steward of the environment without freaking out with “eco-grief,” because we know that our Maker cares for the Earth more than we do, and watches over it with providential care. He has a master plan that is unfolding on schedule. Even if the world ends in fire (see II Peter 3), all is not lost. Those who trust in our Maker through his Son have eternal life. That life is available now, and begins when received (John 1:12), and will never end.

If a world under judgment from sin can still be as beautiful as it is now, just think how much better the new Earth will be when sin has been vanquished forever. We will still exercise responsibility, love and gratitude then. We can be practicing now. Each day, we can wake up asking, “Lord, what is the best use of my time today?” Priority #1 might be helping others to follow the Operations Manual like you did.