Scientists and Experts' Call To Action On Invasive Species
Scientists and Experts' Call To Action On Invasive Species
Scientists and Experts' Call To Action On Invasive Species
Ten years ago, the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress detailed the destruction caused by invasive species and recommended a number of solutions. Since then, the damage has become even starker. Invasive species threaten the productivity of the soils and waters upon which weand our economiesdepend. They endanger the conservation gains of the past century. And they imperil the native species that make this country unique. In sum, the devastation caused by non-native, invasive organisms is one of the most serious and least-recognized tragedies of our time. Because the federal government regulates the movement of damaging organisms into the country and between U.S. states, solutions to this problem require strong federal action. Progress in the past ten years has been woefully inadequate. Therefore wethe undersigned scientists, resource managers, agricultural officials, and other expertscall upon the U.S. Congress and the President to immediately take action to drastically slow the introduction and spread of invasive species and to counteract the severe environmental, economic, and other harm these species cause. These actions would provide invaluable and longlasting benefits to the Nation.
Ann Bartuska, Ph. D. Executive Director Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy Arlington, Virginia K. George Beck, Ph. D. Professor of Weed Science Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management Colorado State University Ft. Collins, Colorado Chairman, Intermountain Noxious Weed Advisory Council James T. Carlton, Ph. D.* Professor of Marine Sciences Williams College Mystic, Connecticut Founding Editor, Biological Invasions Jerome A. Jackson, Ph. D. Whitaker Eminent Scholar and Program Director Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Florida Gulf Coast University Ft. Myers, Florida David M. Lodge, Ph. D. Professor Department of Biological Sciences Notre Dame University Notre Dame, Indiana Former Chair, National Invasive Species Advisory Committee Richard N. Mack, Ph. D. Professor School of Biological Sciences Washington State University Pullman, Washington Board of Directors, Global Invasive Species Programme
Harold A. Mooney, Ph. D. Professor Department of Biological Sciences Stanford University Stanford, California Chair, Phase I, Global Invasive Species Programme Stuart Pimm, Ph. D. Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham, North Carolina Sarah Reichard, Ph. D. Assistant Professor Center for Urban Horticulture University of Washington Seattle, Washington Member, National Invasive Species Advisory Committee Don C. Schmitz, M. S. Tallahassee, Florida Co-editor, Strangers in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida Daniel Simberloff, Ph. D. Professor of Environmental Science and Director Institute for Biological Invasions University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Scott S. Smith, M. S. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Olympia, Washington Chair, Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species Phyllis Windle, Ph.D. Senior Scientist & Invasive Species Project Leader Union of Concerned Scientists Washington, District of Columbia Director, OTAs Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States