Daniel Simberloff, Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Studies, weighs in on an industry debate—is biocontrol a better alternative to pesticides– in this Slate story. Biocontrol is the the control of destructive organisms by the use of other organisms. The use of biocontrol has resulted in a lot of successes—but also in a lot of casualties to rare native species.
Simberloff falls on the side of biocontrol skepticism side of the debate, saying that even in its more strictly regulated form, modern biocontrol still risks driving rare native species into extinction.
Simberloff is one of the world’s leading experts on invasive species. He is based in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.