---
product_id: 8395497
title: "Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren't All Bad"
brand: "greystone books"
price: "€ 25.43"
currency: EUR
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 8
category: "Book"
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8395497-where-do-camels-belong-why-invasive-species-arent-all-bad
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren't All Bad

**Brand:** greystone books
**Price:** € 25.43
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

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- **What is this?** Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren't All Bad by greystone books
- **How much does it cost?** € 25.43 with free shipping
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- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/8395497-where-do-camels-belong-why-invasive-species-arent-all-bad)

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## Description

Review
        	  
        	  
        		  
        		  
	        		
						
			        		&quot;Ken Thompson builds a careful, documented, detailed case with copious examples; smooth, factual, wry and humorous writing; an ecologist&apos;s training but a journalist&apos;s writing. His explanations are accessible, and very entertaining. ...This clear-eyed, lucid, conversational essay securely asserts that our focus on native or alien is misguided&quot; Five stars &#x2014;San Francisco Book Review&quot;Fascinating, provocative... Ken Thompson presents a stimulating challenge to our perceptions of nature&quot;&#x2014;George Monbiot&quot;The information he presents is compelling. ...This title brings an important minority opinion to light&quot;&#x2014;School Library Journal&#x201C;Thompson makes his case in a lively, readable style, spiced with a healthy dose of sarcasm towards &quot;aliens = bad&quot; fundamentalists. Better yet, he bolsters his argument with plenty of citations from the scientific literature, which adds welcome heft.&#x201D; &#x2014;New Scientist&quot;A well put together book about the science and the philosophy surrounding invasive species&quot;&#x2014;The Times&quot;Lively and punchy &#x2026; you walk away from this book feeling flushed and a bit bruised. Thompson&#x2019;s arguments are powerful and his examples are fascinating&#x201D;&#x2014;The Sunday Times
						    	
					    	
						
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        	  	  About the Author
        	  
        	  
        		  
        		  
	        		
						
			        		Dr. Ken Thompson has combined a career lecturing in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield with writing on gardening for the Daily Telegraph (London). He has written five previous books, including Do We Need Pandas: The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity, and lives in Sheffield, U.K.
						    	
					    	
						
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## Images

![Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren't All Bad - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51hgfHPJT4L.jpg)
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Losing My Religion
  

*by I***D on April 10, 2015*









  
  
    Dr. Thomspon’s book brings together many valuable observations and studies from scientific literature concerning the spread and management of invasive species.  I recommend the book to anyone given the task of trying to manage invasive species in a landscape.  I have been fighting invasive species for over fifteen years on public land in the United States.  Many of the arguments in the book were unsettling but rang true to me.However, I would like to offer criticisms to two specific parts of the book.On pages 74 to 79, Dr. Thompson talks about the redeeming features of zebra mussel, and refutes some of the claims of harm caused by zebra mussel.  The section does not mention the thousands of birds that have died in the Great Lakes area from avian botulism.  The filter feeding of zebra and quagga mussels concentrates botulism toxin.  Fish eat the mussels, passing the toxin up the food chain to loons, mergansers, gulls, and other fish-eating birds.  The increased water clarity caused by zebra and quagga mussels has also favored the growth of thick algal mats; the decay of these mats produces the anaerobic conditions favored by the botulism bacteria.In Chapter 11 Dr. Thompson presents five myths about invasions.  His myth #1 is “Alien invasions reduce biodiversity and ecosystem function.”  His arguments concerning biodiversity are very weak.  On page 190 he writes, “In other words, those interested in the effects of alien plants choose to look at plants that are capable of achieving high abundance (and almost certainly high biomass), of dominating the plant communities they invade and, ipso facto, of causing big reductions in local diversity.  There’s nothing surprising about this, it’s just the way science funding works.”  The author acknowledges that invasive species do reduce biodiversity but claims that scientists unfairly cherry-picked the worst alien species to make their argument.  But all ecologists and land managers readily acknowledge that most alien species do not cause harm.  Dr. Thompson conveniently conflates the words invasive and alien to make his point.  Although most alien species do not cause ecological harm, some of them do invade natural areas and become abundant.  We distinguish those as invasive species.  Daniel Simberloff and 140 other scientists made this point in 2011 (Nature Volume 475), responding to an earlier article co-authored by Dr. Thompson, who offers a weak rebuttal on page 216.This book has been published under two different titles.  “Where Do Camels Belong?: The story and science of invasive species” was published by Profile Books in 2014 in England.  “Where Do Camels Belong?: Why Invasive Species Aren’t All Bad” was published by Greystone Books in 2014 in Canada.
  


### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Usefully Provocative
  

*by L***D on May 16, 2015*









  
  
    Provocative, amusing read, and a debate worth having. A bit over the top in places but provides a useful and compelling critique of the sometimes overly expensive, even wasteful or damaging, efforts at invasive species removal and eradication. Ardent environmentalist here but I think the limited (sadly) funds and time and effort available for protecting and helping the environment might often be more usefully directed.
  


### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Debunks myths and confusion about invasive species
  

*by C***Y on April 25, 2018*









  
  
    This book is good reading for anyone who cares about the environment.  It describes how plants and animals have always moved and adapted from the beginning of time as continents shifted and climates changed. Peer reviewed scientific studies demonstrate that not all invasive species are harmful.  Some species are  harmful, and some are not.  Labeling all "invasive" species as harmful is inaccurate, at best, and and leads to poor policy decisions, at worst.
  


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*Product available on Desertcart Portugal*
*Store origin: PT*
*Last updated: 2026-03-14*