Alien species: A Slow Motion Explosion

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

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7/8/99

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

Non-native animals cause $123 billion worth of damage each year in the

United States. Some 2,000 alien plant species have established

themselves. As native communities dwindle and are impacted, they are

less able to fend off exotic plants and animals. Following is a good

general overview of the problem, which compounds and makes more

complex ecological change occurring because of inappropriate forest

and land management.

g.b.

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Title: Alien species: A slow motion explosion

Source: Environment News Network via Cable News Network

Date: July 7, 1999

Zebra mussels, spotted thistle, kudzu and spiny pigweed are just a few

of the more than 2,000 alien species quietly threatening in the United

States biodiversity in the United States.

Forest fires, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes and mudslides are the

rock stars of nature's mass destruction capabilities, but when it

comes to actual damage, exotic weeds, pests and diseases are hands

down more costly, according to government officials. Many scientists

believe the spread of exotic species is one of the most serious, yet

least known threats to biodiversity. Conservative estimates count

2,000 alien plant species that have established themselves in the

United States, 350 of which experts say are serious and dangerous

invaders. Non-native animal species cause $123 billion worth of damage

each year to crops, range land and waterways, according to a report by

the federal government.

Weeds infest 100 million acres in the U.S., spreading 14 percent a

year, and on public lands consume 4,600 acres of wildlife habitat a

day. At least 1.5 million acres of national park land are severely

infested and need immediate treatment, according to the National Park

Service.

The ocean serves as a highway in transporting invasive species into

U.S. waters. Every minute 40,000 gallons of foreign ballast water are

dumped into U.S. harbors. This water contains a multitude of non-

indigenous organisms that could alter or destroy America's natural

marine ecosystems, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration.

And each year, the problem gets worse. Aliens we're currently doing

battle with include:

* Red fire ants native to South America have established themselves in

much of the south.

* Tomato bushy stunt virus, an exotic disease that was first isolated

in Ireland in 1935, has a toehold in agricultural crops of Southern

California. Unlike most viruses, which are spread from plant to plant

by insects, tomato bushy stunt virus resides in soil and water.

* Persea mite and avocado thrips are threatening avocado growers in

California, where 90 percent of the nation's avocados are grown.

Agricultural economists say that the combination of rising production

costs, decreasing quality and increased market prices could result in

increased imports from Chile and Mexico and total loss of the avocado

industry in the U.S.

* Zebra mussels can shut down electrical utilities by clogging water

intake pipes and threaten to cause an estimated $5 billion in damages

by 2002 if left unchecked.

* Leafy spurge causes more than $144 million in livestock forage

damage each year in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming,

reducing the productivity of grazing land by 50 to 75 percent.

* Sea lampreys caused the collapse of lake trout and other Great Lakes

fisheries, costing the U.S. and Canada $13 million annually to

control.

* Yellow starthistle, a spiny weed introduced from Chile during the

gold rush now chokes native plants out of 15 to 20 million acres of

California's range land and wild land areas. It spreads at 10 percent

a year.

* Brown tree snakes have caused more than 200 snakebites, 1,200

electrical outages and the extinction of most native forest birds on

Guam. The Interior Department is spending $4.5 million annually to

prevent the spread of the brown tree snake from Guam.

* Asian long-horned beetles infested Brooklyn, N.Y. More than 2,000

trees had to be destroyed, costing the federal and state government

more than $5 million. A similar infestation now plagues Chicago.

* Purple loosetrife has a beautiful flower and spreads like wildfire.

Now found in 36 states, it costs $45 million annually to manage.

Florida spends $11 million each year to manage water hyacinth.

Tropical soda apple, first reported in Florida, now covers 370,000

acres and costs the state $28 million.

President Clinton established an interagency council in February and

gave its members 18 months to come up with a management plan. In the

meantime, prevention, eradication and control activities are already

in place some instances, as are research efforts. But it will be

coordinated efforts across federal state and local governments, and

adequate funding from Congress to begin win the war on invasive

species, according to NOAA.

These aliens are quiet opportunists, spreading in a slow motion

explosion," concludes a recently released government report.

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