Invasive species and global climate change.

Chapter 17 (Page no: 307)

Early detection and rapid response: a cost-effective strategy for minimizing the establishment and spread of new and emerging invasive plants by global trade, travel and climate change.

Over the past 65 years, considerable effort has been made by state and national agencies in several countries, as well as other partners, to minimize establishment and spread of newly introduced and/or emerging invasive plants through single agency-led programs, interagency councils and task forces. Examples of single agency-led programs include the United States Department of Agriculture-Carolinas Witchweed Eradication Program in the United States (initiated in 1957) and the Kochia Eradication Project in Western Australia (Early Detection and Rapid Response 1.0 (EDRR 1.0)). In recent years, state interagency councils and task forces have been formed to address all types of new invasive species - particularly newly introduced species that are not already regulated by federal or state agencies. The Delaware Invasive Species Council, the Ontario Invasive Plant Council and the Carolinas Beach Vitex Task Force are good examples of this new trend in interagency partnering (EDRR 2.0). The landscape approach to EDRR involves the development of EDRR capacity at all levels of the landscape - local to national. It includes individual public and private land units, geographic land units (watersheds, biomes, corridors, etc.) and political land units (towns, counties, states/provinces and nations) (EDRR 3.0). From a societal standpoint, owing to global climate change and increased global trade and travel, it is important to emphasize that the impacts of invasive species on food security, human health and biodiversity will continue to increase unless steps are taken now to minimize their introduction, establishment and spread. Development of EDRR capacity at all levels of the landscape is a proven strategy for achieving those goals.

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