Killing trees and spreading myths: The scientific production of Salt Cedar (Tamarix spp.) as an alien invasive species

Keywords: alien invasive species, STS, boundary object, political ecology, cosmopolitics, more-than-human
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Adopting an STS framework concerned with the democratization of knowledge production, this paper explores the scientific production of a plant as an alien invasive species and its circulation across U.S. and Argentina. The geographical classification of species as “alien” or “native” is a dominant lens through which nature is seen and valued and it is incorporated in people’s sense of place, which shapes the spatialities of everyday life. Decontextualized military, anti-alien metaphors and management prescriptions travel across national territories informing control and eradication practices in distant places. Through analyzing peer-reviewed publications in English and Spanish from 2002 to 2020, I trace the scientific production of Salt Cedar (Tamarix spp) as an alien terrestrial plant invading Argentine ecosystems. By means of coding text, I analyze the language deployed to refer to this species, the variables used to assess its invasiveness and the characterization of hosting ecosystems. I also chart collaborations between Argentine and U.S. researchers instrumental in the framing of this species native to Eurasia and Africa. The paper first reviews scholarly exchanges between critical geography and STS including leading critiques of the native/alien paradigm as a “standardized package.” Second, it examines the scientific production and circulation of Salt Cedar as an alien invasive species in the Southwest U.S. to then focus on the Argentine case. Then, I present my coding structure, results and analysis. The paper concludes by reflecting on the ethical and managerial implications of adopting a multispecies cosmopolitics that cares for all species and welcomes the foreigner.