Biology Reference
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Another effective strategy for the education of industry regarding nonnative spe-
cies would be for the US Cooperative Extension Service to develop and conduct an
education program for nursery businesses. The program would be targeted at indus-
try members regarded as innovators. This innovative group would serve as the first
adopters of the educational objectives, and then serve as a model for other busi-
nesses, thereby encouraging widespread adoption. Harrington et al. (2003) con-
cluded that educating ornamental horticulture personnel and the public should be a
major focus in mitigating the invasive plant problem. McKinney (2004) found a
high correlation ( r 2 = 0.69) between the number of introduced species (plants and
animals) of an area and the human population in that area. He contends that educat-
ing the general public about the dangers of exotic species importation “may be the
only way to reduce rates of introduction.” The ornamental horticulture industry
should move to make their efforts in addressing invasive NIS more visible and
public than in the past. Educating personnel on the fundamental aspects of invasive
NIS and referencing NatureServe's list of documented invasive taxa (NatureServe
2005) as plants not to be sold (based on regional observations) would be a signifi-
cant first step in developing a best management practices strategy. Other helpful
resources are California's “Don't Plant a Pest” (California Invasive Plant Council -
Don't Plant a Pest, http://www.cal-ipc.org/landscaping/dpp/. Accessed 23 May
2008) and Washington's “Garden Wise” (Washington Invasive Species Coalition -
Garden Wise, http://www.invasivespeciescoalition.org/GardenPlants/index_html/
view?searchterm = water%20wise. Accessed 9 June 2008) educational programs
that target nursery professionals and gardeners who wish to plant noninvasive spe-
cies in their landscapes. Both programs offer noninvasive alternatives to popular
invasive garden species. Adopting these types of educational resources by the
ornamental horticulture industry would help conserve native biodiversity and be
evidence of responsible land stewardship. Thus, the ornamental horticultural indus-
try is uniquely situated to work with the scientists and policy makers to increase
public understanding of invasive species as well as decrease the introduction and
spread of high-impact invasive plant species.
References
Allendorf FW, Lundquist LL (2003) Introduction: population biology, evolution, and control of
invasive species. Conserv Biol 17:24-30
American Nurseryman (1999) Invasives roundtable. Am Nurseryman 190:54-77
Anderson NO, Gomez N et al. (2006) A non-invasive crop ideotype to reduce invasive potential.
Euphytica 148:185-202
Baskin Y (2002) The greening of horticulture: new codes of conduct aim to curb plant invasions.
BioScience 52:464-471
Bell CE, Wilen CA et al. (2003) Invasive plants of horticultural origin. HortScience 38:14-16
Bryson CT, Carter R (2004) Biology of pathways for invasive weeds. Weed Technol
18:1216-1220
Burt JW, Muir AA et al. (2007) Preventing horticultural introductions of invasive plants: potential
efficacy of voluntary initiatives. Biol Invasions 9:909-923
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