Structuring+a+Project+-+Gregory+Niguidula

The conditions that shape the object of study

Legal & Legislative
 * Long series of increasingly strict regulations on invasive species introduction going back decades
 * President Clinton signed an order identifying invasive species management as a national priority

Technological
 * Computer and mathematical models of invasions
 * Decision-making tools for prioritizing species as well
 * Pesticides, fungicides, and other organism-controlling chemicals
 * Increasingly advanced transportation technologies

Economic
 * Destruction of ecosystems leading to decreased revenue from national parks, etc.
 * Loss of agricultural yield to invasive species
 * Management solutions are often expensive

Social
 * Preconcieved notions of how nature should look
 * Desire to resist changes in natural areas
 * Community involvement in invasive species management is commonplace
 * Increasing concern for the environment by society as a whole

Political
 * Strengthening influence on the government by invasion ecology

Cultural
 * Alleged separation of invasion ecology from the rest of ecology
 * Many fear invasive species
 * The term invasive species is not well defined, yet all seem to have a notion of what it means.

Natural
 * Climate change
 * Systems so complex no one understands them