Balancing Species History, Human Culture and Scientific Insight: Introduction and Overview

Here we set the wider scene and context to the subject matter of this book. This is in terms of issues and perceptions of both alien and introduced (or reintroduced) species. We raise issues of what is native and what is natural, and the ways in which these and our perceptions of nature have changed over time. Our intention is to stimulate the reader to question ideas and received wisdom, and to try to establish the interface between objective science and subjective sociocultural fashions and values.