There seems to be increasing attention paid to "non-natives" these days, driven by ecologic purists and by those who oppose immigration of any kind. But what does native mean?
The short answer is that the native individual or species was born in or first evolved in a given area. But while a person might be a native of New York, for example, his/her ancestors may have come from multiple Eurasian countries and, of course, humans evolved in Africa. Native Americans did not likely reach the American Continents until 25-30 thousand years ago, some 100 thousand years after our species first evolved. The great majority of non-native plants and animals found in the Americas today were brought in from Eurasia and Africa by humans (purposefully or inadvertently).
To attempt to rid our Continent of non-natives is thus pure folly; indeed, we would have to leave ourselves. It seems more appropriate to acknowledge that all ecosystems have evolved over time and, in concert, non-native species have entered the mix. All species (ourselves included) are natives of Earth and their/our welfare is dependent on protecting the planet as a whole.
