Characteristics, significance, and human dimension of global invasive weeds - Invasive Plants: Ecological and Agricultural Aspects - page 236

Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) representing a broad spectrum of scien-
tific, commercial and conservation interests.
The initial major function of NISC has been to work in consultation with
ISAC to prepare a National Management Plan (NMP) for all invasive species. A
draft of this plan was released for an official 45-day public comment period on
2 October 2000. In 2001, the Council released the National Invasive Species
Management Plan. The Plan recommends specific action items to improve coor-
dination, prevention, control and management of invasive species by the Federal
agency members of the Council. It also included a timetable for specific actions
for restoration of infested sites, for research and education, for information man-
agement and for interagency coordination and international cooperation.
To prevent the introduction of invasive species and provide for their control
and to minimize the economic, ecological, and human health impacts that
invasive species cause, the Executive Order 13112 consisted of the following:
Section 1. Definitions; Section 2. Federal Agency Duties; Section 3. Invasive
Species Council; Section 4. Duties of the Invasive Species Council; Section 5.
Invasive Species Management Plan; Section 6. Judicial Review and
Administration. Only the Section 1 will be illustrated here as follows:
Section 1: Definitions
a) “Alien species” means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species,
including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of
propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem.
b) “Control” means, as appropriate, eradicating, suppressing, reducing, or
managing invasive species populations, preventing spread of invasive spe-
cies from areas where they are present, and taking steps such as restoration
of native species and habitats to reduce the effects of invasive species and
to prevent further invasions.
c) “Ecosystem” means the complex of a community of organisms and its envi-
ronment.
d) “Federal Agency” means an executive department or agency, but does not
include independent establishments as defined by U.S.C. 104.
e) “Introduction” means the intentional or unintentional escape, release, dis-
semination, or placement of a species into an ecosystem as a result of
human activity.
f) “Invasive Species” means alien species whose introduction does or is like-
ly to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
g) “Native Species” means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a species
that other than as a result of introduction, historically occurred or currently
occurs in that ecosystem.
h) “Species” means a group of organisms all of which have a high degree of
physical and genetic similarity, generally interbred only among themselves,
and show persistent differences from members of allied groups of organisms.