Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Desert Tortoise Council, March 5-8, 1999
Abstracts

Available estimates indicate that more than 6,000 non-indigenous plants, animals, and microorganisms, introduced intentionally or inadvertently by humans, have established free living populations in U.S. ecosystems. Although most do not cause significant harm, the risks to native communities, ecosystem services, the economy and human health are increasing as an increasing number of established invaders emerge from obscurity and the rapid globalization of travel and trade continues to increase the pathways for introduction of additional organisms. Because of its large variety of life zones and predominant role in global commerce, the U.S. is especially vulnerable to invasions by species from biologically rich countries newly opened to expanded trade, such as China, Russia and South Africa, which have life zones similar to those in the U.S.

In recent years, well publicized invaders, such as the Asian longhorn beetle, Asian swamp eel, the brown tree snake, the zebra mussel, and purple loosestrife, have focused public attention on this emerging environmental issue. During the 1990's, increasing public concerns and demands for action have fostered development of new organizations and initiatives to address the threats at scales from local to global.

More than 20 Federal agencies have responsibilities relating to the prevention, detection, monitoring, and control of invasive species. Federal programs have traditionally focused on particular invaders, especially those posing significant risk to U.S. agriculture or other economic sectors. However, efforts are expanding to develop more effective and consistent policies, strengthen cooperation and public participation, assess risks and develop reliable information and management tools. The White House has recently issued an Executive Order to improve the coordination of these efforts. The order calls for the establishment of an interagency council which will develop a coordinated national strategy for addressing threats from all types of invasive organisms. Efforts are underway to develop a national invasive species information system that facilitates “one stop shopping” on the Internet.

Complementing the growing Federal role are the efforts of more than a dozen states to establish their own invasive species councils, and the organization of scores of local partnerships to address the effects of invasive weeds. At the international level, invasive species are an important focus of attention under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and international organizations such as the World Conservation Union and the International Council of Scientific Unions, increasingly involved in developing plans to address the problem.