A critique of the ‘novel ecosystem’ concept

•The concept of ‘novel ecosystems’ is ill-defined and can lead to undesirable practical and policy outcomes. •Successful restoration projects abound in areas that could have been considered ‘novel’. •To develop a pragmatic and operational framework for deciding when and how to intervene in an ecosystem, ‘novel ecosystem’ proponents must first demonstrate when and why an irreversible ecological threshold has caused an ecosystem to shift to a new...