The issue of ecosystem functioning has been addressed in a variety of different contexts. In this chapter, I will introduce the most important of these contexts. First, however, I will open up a number of questions with respect to the meaning of the term ‘ecosystem functioning’ and the ways the concept is assessed in practice. To do so, I will start with a case study illustrating the many facets of the current discourse on ecosystem functioning.

Case study: exotic species and ecosystem functioning on Navarino Island

The Chilean island of Navarino is a remote and beautiful place, and an outstanding site of nature. I first visited the island in 2000, invited by my colleague and friend Ricardo Rozzi, who had started to study the biological and cultural diversity of the island a few years before. Military issues – tensions between Chile and its neighbour Argentina – meant access was largely restricted until the 1990s. Located in the XII Region of Chile, Navarino is one of the numerous islands which, at the southernmost tip of the American continent, form the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. Being situated south of the Beagle Channel and only around 150 km north of Cape Horn (54° south), it is also a rather cold place. It harbours only a small human population of about 2300 people.