Invasive Species: Wicked Problem in Pittsburgh
Assignment #1: Mapping Wicked Problems
Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design, Transition Design Seminar 2024
Background
Transition Design is a transdisciplinary approach that is aimed at addressing the many ‘wicked’ problems confronting 21st-century societies: climate change, forced migration, political and social polarisation, global pandemics, lack of access to affordable housing/healthcare/education and many others. These problems are interconnected, and interdependent and always manifest in place and culture-specific ways. Transition Design argues that new knowledge and skill sets are required to address these problems and that their resolution is a strategy for igniting positive, systems-level change and societal transitions toward more sustainable, equitable and desirable long-term futures. Transition Design Seminar 2024 is taught by Terry Irwin & Gideon Kossoff
Team Murmuration: Anthony Haynes, Eugina Chun, Kyla Fullenwider, Ruby Wu and Vanya Rawat
Introduction
An invasive species is a non-native species, whether plant, animal, or microorganism, that is introduced to a new environment and has the potential to cause harm to the local ecosystem, economy, or human health. Invasive species can outcompete native species for resources and disrupt natural ecological processes. The lack of natural predators and competitors in new habitats allows invasive species to undergo rapid population growth, spreading and exacerbating their impact on local ecosystems. Managing invasive species globally is an intricate challenge driven by interconnected factors. It is estimated that invasive species cost the United States more than $120 billion per year in economic losses. In Pennsylvania alone, the annual impact of invasive species surpasses $100 million.
Invasive species affect a wide range of industries, including but not limited to agriculture, hardwoods/forestry, outdoor recreation, and tourism. Invasive species are recognised as one of the leading threats to biodiversity and impose enormous costs on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and other human enterprises, as well as on human health. Globalisation, propelled by increased international trade and travel, facilitates the inadvertent introduction of invasive species to new regions, as ships, planes, and cargo transport seeds and organisms across continents. Climate change further complicates the issue, altering the distribution of species and creating new hospitable environments for invasive species. Complex interactions within ecosystems make it challenging to predict and address the cascading effects on native flora and fauna when invasive species are introduced; this is what makes it a wicked problem. To understand the wicked problem of invasive species in Pittsburgh, we will need to comprehend the interconnected systems that affect them.
Our approach to mapping a wicked problem
We focused on the question “What are the myriad issues relating to invasive species across sectors and how do they relate to each other?”.
Creating a map was an iterative process where we started with our initial research and expanded it to create a more complex web of interrelated problem statements across sectors. To map the wicked problem of invasive species in Pittsburgh, PA we used a STEEP framework. We mapped systemic relations between societal sectors using the framework below.
1. Social
What issues related to ‘how’ and ‘what’ do we think contribute to the problem or are related to it? These may also be what people are ignorant of that exacerbate the problem or help give rise to it. How do group or cultural norms, traditions, & expectations contribute to these problems?
2. Technology/ Infrastructure/ Science
What issues in the area of technology/infrastructure (artifacts/ buildings/ technology) contribute to the problem or are related to it? It could also be a ‘lack/absence’ in this area that exacerbates the problem or helps give rise to it.
3. Economic/ Business
What issues in the area of economics/business/market forces contribute to the problem or are related to it? How do dominant ‘rules’ about business and the marketplace contribute to/exacerbate the problem? Levels and distribution of economic growth, industrial structures, competition and competitiveness, loss of business, markets and financial issues are all related factors that can exacerbate the problem.
4. Environmental
What issues related to the environment contribute to the problem or are related to it? How is the environment affected by the problem? Which members of the local or regional ecosystem are adversely affected by it? Is their demise/depletion related to the problem? What are some pressures connected with sustainability, climate change, and more localised environmental issues?
5. Political/ Legal
What issues in the areas of policy, governance and laws contribute to the problem or are related to it? It could also be a ‘lack/absence’ in this area that exacerbates the problem or helps give rise to it. Dominant political viewpoints or parties, political instability, regulatory roles and actions of governments, political action and lobbying by non-state actors are all related factors that exacerbate the problem.
On our map, the issues emerge from the central point and form individual post-its, with each issue being thoroughly examined for its underlying causes. The use of distinctive colours enhances the clarity of the map, with each problem or root cause represented by a solid square. Further elaboration is provided within outlined boxes of the same colour, offering additional details about each specific point. Recognising that complex problems are interconnected, issues related to another attribute are denoted by solid grey arrows illustrating the connection. These linkages reveal the intricate nature of the problem at hand and illustrate how a single decision, policy alteration, infrastructure change, or factor can have a broader impact on the entire network.
PDF link to our map can be found here.
Our Findings
Social Issues
The social and cultural dynamics that define our collective relationship with nature play a vital role in the issue of invasive species, influencing both direct and indirect pathways of non-native species introduction. These dynamics are also directly associated with the endemic decrease in climate resilience, enabling these species to take root. From the perspective of Dana Meadows Leverage Points, the most important socio-political element at play is the reductionist mechanistic paradigm present in neoliberal economics that sees nature rendered valueless until commodified. The additional prioritisation of individual benefit over consideration for systemic responsibilities prevalent in Western cultures and the lack of widespread ecological literacy produces a form of consumerism blind to the large-scale costs of every purchase.
These factors contribute to the vulnerability of socio-ecological systems globally, with particularly pronounced negative impacts on public health in impoverished communities. In Pittsburgh, this paradigm and its associated behaviours pose a threat to the local environment. The introduction of multiple invasive plant species, often for agricultural and ornamental purposes, along with the indirect transfer of invasive stowaways through trade, exemplified by the spotted lanternfly or emerald ash borer beetle, has become a pressing concern. Against the backdrop of increasingly vulnerable local ecosystems, each invasive species jeopardises existing ecosystem services crucial for the entire region. The repercussions of these invasions are widespread in Pittsburgh, affecting not only the environment but also posing risks to human health. Increased contact with toxic invasive plants and the rising prevalence of diseases transmitted by insects are significant threats. Additionally, concerns arise about the preservation of natural cultural heritage, as the loss of native species and landscapes in Pittsburgh intersects with the impact on community activities, highlighting the interconnected nature of these issues
Technology/ Infrastructure/ Science Issues
Urbanisation naturally disrupts the local ecosystem, making the city’s ecosystem and infrastructure more susceptible to invasive species in return. Invasive plants clog drainage structures which can cause flooding and ice buildup on roadways, as well as subsequent erosion from flooding. Their roots can damage subsurface drainage, underground conduits and septic systems. Invasive plants also infiltrate other openings such as in pavement cracks, leading to structural failures and shortened lifespan. This becomes an exasperation and connects to another wicked problem for the ageing infrastructure in Pittsburgh.
International air travel has also played a significant role in the recent increase of invasive species. By providing links to distant, but climatically similar regions of the world, the worldwide airline network (WAN) increases the risks of transportation and establishment of foreign organisms. However, the city currently lacks an advanced monitoring system for such possible transports of foreign species, making it difficult to track the spread of invasive species. This results in the over-reliance on chemical herbicides which forces the chemicals to get stronger and more toxic to work.
Environmental Issues
The environmental issues surrounding invasive plants in Pittsburgh are myriad. The problem of invasive species in the region is- at its core- an environmental one. That is, the most consequential impacts are ones that affect the natural environment and local ecosystems.
To better describe the environmental impacts it’s helpful to think about them in three intersecting areas:
1. Impact on existing ecologies
2. Impact on future ecologies
3. Cascading, multiplier impacts
The extinction of native plants and its precursor- the loss of biodiversity- is a direct impact of the acceleration of invasive species in the Pittsburgh region. Because they have no natural competition, invasive plants can quickly outcompete native plants and create a vast monoculture where a diversity of flora and fauna once thrived. As a result, forests, fields, and pastures can quickly get overwhelmed with monospecies and the decline of native plants accelerates in a kind of death spiral that is very difficult to curtail without the use of powerful (and toxic) herbicides. For example, Japanese knotgrass and Multiflora rose are overwhelming fields and pastures in the region and have spread so far and wide that it may be impossible to eradicate them without extreme measures that could have devastating impacts on local wildlife. As these regions are increasingly overwhelmed, their ability to buffer pollutants is diminished and ecosystem resilience is compromised both now and in the future. These compounding crises create a cascading feedback loop that continues to further exacerbate the cycle and undermine efforts to repair the ecological system that has been disrupted.
Economic/ Business Issues
Invasive species have had significant economic consequences in the United States. The costs associated with managing and controlling invasive species, as well as the economic losses in agriculture, forestry, and other industries, run into billions of dollars annually. The emerald ash borer, for example, inflicts significant costs to our community, with a single tree removal in a park or street tallying up to $1,000. This pest, alongside the vampiric lanternflies, threatens key industries, including timber, fruit, and viticulture, vital contributors to our regional economy. A recent economic impact study from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania found that the annual cost of invasive species damage in the Commonwealth exceeds a staggering $100 million. The spotted lanternfly alone is a considerable threat to Pennsylvania’s wineries, with an estimated yearly impact of $99.1 million, underscoring the urgency of the issue.
The “Tragedy of the Commons” also plays out vividly here, where individuals are prone to overuse of a fair proportion of shared natural resources, privatising their gains while externalising the costs of this overuse. Trans-ecosystem trade introduces invasive species through various channels, often unseen, like “stowaways” travelling vast distances, harming our local ecosystems and economies. Financially, the ripple effects extend to public health systems burdened with diseases spread by these species. Furthermore, the cost of managing invasive hydrilla outbreaks in bodies of water like the Allegheny Reservoir hits hard, with annual figures like $2.2 million pointing to a wider economic challenge.
These economic issues are not isolated; they’re part of a broader narrative where global trends like trade and climate change intersect with local realities, shaping the economic landscape. Our economic paradigms, now being tested by these invasive forces, demand a reevaluation of how we approach environmental stewardship and economic resilience. In Pittsburgh, the stakes are clear: we must reconcile the immediate costs with the long-term investment in our ecological and economic health. Each figure and fact underscores a call to action — a call for innovative strategies that bolster our economy against the pervasive threat of invasive species.
Political/ Legal Issues
The legal and political implications surrounding invasive plants in the Pittsburgh region suffer from a failure of imagination for new types of legal, legislative, or policy solutions that fully address the scale of the invasive species problem. That is, based on our initial review of current legislative and regulatory frameworks we have found relatively little that would make a significant impact on the sheer magnitude of the impact of invasive species in the Pittsburgh region- or Pennsylvania more broadly. This failure of imagination is not unique to Pittsburgh. To our knowledge, only one bill has been passed at the federal level that directly addresses the issue of invasive species. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act- written in 1990 and amended in 1996 as the National Invasive Species Act (NISA)- was written long before the scope and scale of this issue had reached the crisis level that it has today. NISA has no reduction targets for decreasing the number of invasive species found throughout ecologically sensitive areas in the US and is difficult to enforce in any meaningful way at a local level. These policy failures at the federal, state, and local levels have in many ways created the conditions for invasive species to thrive.
Dealing with invasive species also requires coordinated efforts across borders, as these organisms often do not respect political boundaries. Developing and implementing effective international regulations and agreements to address the issue can be challenging due to differing priorities and policies among US states.
Reflections and Next Steps
As a team, we decided to give the wicked problem map a pass individually before we collaborated on it together. This allowed us to come up with more diverse perspectives and allowed each team member to contribute their unique understanding of the landscape of invasive species in Pittsburgh. Instead of approaching it as a brainstorming activity where we would populate one sector before moving on to the next, we placed 1–2 post-its in a specific category and then inquired about the connections of that issue to or its impact on other areas of the map. This approach involved working simultaneously across all areas of the map, drawing connecting lines between issues and labelling them. This didn’t come easily. Our first iterations had post-its that were vague or not too descriptive; during our 2nd and 3rd passes as a team we were able to reframe our points as problem statements that describe the issue and its connection to our large wicked problem of invasive species.
We also discovered that like any wicked problem, ours was very wide and diverging. To help focus our work more contextually, for the next steps we will be narrowing it down to Invasive plant species in Pittsburgh because they are the most pressing issue with the largest impact and most research readily available.
References
https://www.wesa.fm/health-science-tech/2023-03-20/pennsylvania-fighting-invasive-species
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/brynmawr/toxic-plant-spreads-pennsylvaniahttps://www.paenflowered.org/apgii/apiales/apiaceae/pastinaca/pastinaca-sativa#:~:text=Pastinac
https://www.waterlandlife.org/
https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/dep_details.aspx?newsid=1730
https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/FoodForThought/pages/Article.aspx?post=134
https://waterlandlife.org/wildlife-pnhp/invasive-and-unwelcomed-species/
