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Comment by leke | Hacker News Reader

Is it just me or does it seem wrong that people are against this plant that is trying to green a desert?

No, that's a bit like being happy that locusts are bringing so much life to your field. A single plant growing explosively over a large area with scarce resources should be worrying.

If you read the article it mentions that this weed has a tendency to kill the native plants. So yes, in this case, it's harmful.

harmful to the extant plants. perhaps preparing the ground for an ecosystem-to-come.

All the other native species (insects, birds, etc.), which are dependent upon the native plants for food & shelter, also tend to die off.

Overall, it's about as good as a (Star Trek reference) Cardassian occupation. And invasive species are not intelligent, to set up a decent "New Order" in any sort of reasonable or tolerable time frame.

It's not wrong, but yes... weeds are the frontier plants for an ecosystem that doesn't yet exist. Two issues at hand: 1st is that they out-compete native plants and 2nd is that people don't like change. Maybe they like the desert.

Every organism alive today out-competed some “native” organism to get there, that isn’t an issue. The 2nd point is the only relevant point, and it’s weak as can be.

You say that like deserts are bad ecosystems that would be improved by ecological disruption and invasive species.

it's not just you, it always triggers me when repopulating species are called "pests" by the most invasive species on earth (humans).

Humans have done more for conservation and "repopulating" than you could ever imagine. Soil, sea-life, species...List goes on and on.

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