Legalities

Nonnative insects, pathogens, and plants continue to flow into the United States, as they have for the past 500 years (Committee on the Scientific Basis for Predicting the Invasive Potential of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests in the United States 2002). With global trade comes a mixing of once-separated organisms, often with harmful effects on their new natural systems and substantial costs for mitigation. Invasive nonnative pests pose major challenges. We are challenged to (1) detect and minimize entries, (2) detect critical outbreaks and mobilize rapid responses, (3) monitor existing invasive populations and apply integrated pest management (IPM) programs, and (4) disseminate information about the nature of the problem of invasive pests and possible means of its solution.

Executive Order 13112, issued in 1999, established the National Invasive Species Council, comprised of the heads of eight Federal Agencies. This Executive order defined an invasive species as a species that is (1) nonnative (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration, and (2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. The council finalized in 2001 a “National Management Plan: Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge,” which is aimed at coordinating offensive and defensive efforts among the Government Agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the public. New national initiatives in all elements of an IPM approach to invasive species are planned and specified, with actual regulatory and policy changes anticipated, as appropriations become available.