Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
that these approaches are unfeasible unless society is willing to cease introductions
while species-specific information is collected. The horticulture and landscape indus-
try would certainly view the call to cease plant introductions as radical. However, a
first step toward accurate prevention of the introduction of invasive nonnative species
would be an “International Invasive Plant Data Center” that would create and update
a global database of invasive nonnative plant species (Rejmanek et al. 2005). Because
the history of invasiveness in one region is the best predictor of invasive potential in
another region, a comprehensive and up-to-date invasive plant database will be useful
in determining which taxa might be safely introduced into new areas.
While accurate prediction of invasive potential and prohibiting the importation
of invasive species is the best case scenario, early detection and eradication of
escaped species is the next best strategy. Eradication is possible if the invasive
species is detected early enough and enough resources are dedicated to its removal
(Simberloff 1997). In terms of early eradication of invasive NIS, success is opti-
mized by meeting the following criteria: (1) limited distribution of the target species
or organism, (2) adequate eradication resources, (3) clear legal grounds for action
and unambiguous lines of authority, (4) the biology of the organism must be under-
stood to develop an effective extirpative strategy, and (5) eradication should not do
more harm than good (Simberloff 2003).
9.5.6 InformationSources
Where do horticulture industry personnel and the gardening public get science-
based information regarding a NIS? The USDA's National Invasive Species
Information Center: Gateway to invasive species information, covering Federal,
State, local, and international sources web site is a comprehensive site covering
most aspects of invasive plants and animals (USDA National Invasive Species
Information Center, http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/. Accessed 9 June 2008).
However, there is no single information source in which nursery/landscape industry
personnel and the gardening public can obtain information that focuses on the
issues of landscape plants and nursery industry-related invasive issues. A search of
the Internet (Google ) for “invasive landscape plants” or “invasive garden plants”
yields a listing of 1.1 million and 152,000 web sites, respectively. This enormous
amount of information to consider will likely overwhelm those seeking specific
information. Thus, a well-advertised web site targeted at nursery/landscape indus-
try personnel and the gardening public is vital to public education regarding
NIS. These groups need to know (1) the fundamentals of invasive NIS biology,
(2) landscape species that have been documented to be invasive and their relative
impact, (3) the region(s) in which these invasive NIS are a problem, (4) alternative,
noninvasive species for each region to be used in place of invasive NIS, and (5)
because NIS establishment and impacts will vary significantly in response to
climate and physiographic region, regional and state resources are especially
important (Fox et al. 2003).
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