Time for a National Center???

From an article by Don C. Schmitz and Daniel Simberloff published in the summer 2001 Issues in Science and Technology.

The authors smartly build the case for a national center for biological invasions. What follows is a summary justifying the center. "Introduced organisms are the second greatest cause, after habitat destruction, of species endangerment and extinction worldwide. In the United States, nonindigenous species do more than $130 billion a year in damage to agriculture, forests, rangelands, and fisheries, as estimated by Cornell University biologists."

Since the invasions began in the 1620s, federal, state, and local regulations have emerged governing research, use, prevention, and control of nonindigenous species. Within each State hundreds of county, city and regional agencies combine to make a patchwork of laws that complicate controlling the invasives and working with one another. For the past 20 years Federal agencies and conservation organizations have tried to solve coordination problems. However, the success of interagency groups is limited by their charters, staffing and lack of funding.

On February 3, 1999, President Clinton issued the Invasive Species Executive Order 13112 which created the National Invasive Species Council. The work of the Council is a step in the right direction. The Council with the help of an Advisory committee has presented a national management plan. Congress is aware of their work but not supporting in at this point. Consequently federal obligations to address invasive species Continue to be too small for the size of the issue. The problem of multi-jurisdictional response to the issue could be addressed by a model like the Center for Disease Control, or the national Interagency Fire enter in Boise. Both monitor their problem, work on prevention and management, and do so as the problems emerge in or region or nationally.

A National Center for biological Invasions might serve in the following ways:

1. Coordinate early detection and rapid response to new invaders among agencies,
2. Enhance coordination of prevention and control efforts,
3. Increase information exchange among scientists/technicians,
4. Integrate, track, and share university based research,
5. and use diverse communication methods for public education about invasions.

The Center would help coordinate surveillance, track new invasions, help existing weed networks, assure correct species identification, define, economic impacts, and more. All this could be done building on existing frameworks and partnerships. The new Center could ensure that we are better prepared to respond to new invasions and to mange existing ones. Now is the time.