The Administration has released a draft strategic plan to combat the estimated $120 billion problem of invasive species.
Significant actions are being taken to more effectively manage invasive species, which impact water supplies, impair hunting and fishing opportunities, interfere with energy production, exacerbate wildfires, damage America’s agriculture and drive native species to extinction.
The plan is a coordinated alignment of programs and policies across the U.S. Department of the Interior to leverage more resources in addressing the issue. In Fiscal Year 2020, Interior is investing an estimated $143 million to manage invasive species.
“The draft plan sets out a vision for effectively managing invasive species through collaborative conservation to protect our nation’s biodiversity and economy,” according to Scott Cameron, Interior’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget.
In accordance with the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act of 2019, and in consultation with states, Tribes and other stakeholders, the plan reflects ongoing work by Interior and partners and leverages opportunities to respond to emerging issues driven by the priorities of state governors.
While many Interior bureaus have invasive species management plans, the new plan outlines a comprehensive approach to promote mutual priorities, raise awareness to motivate action, strengthen prevention practices to avoid invasive species introductions and spread; improve early detection and rapid response efforts, leverage targeted control and eradication and improve data collection and management.
The Administration has made significant investments to combat devastating effects of invasive species with an aggressive push for progress using a science-based approach to prevent, contain and control invasive species that damage our landscapes.
Great Lakes Region
In the Great Lakes, where Asian carp put at risk the region’s $7 billion fishing industry, the Administration invested more than $35 million in 2020 toward work by the U.S. Geological Survey, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service to combat the spread of invasive carps, including along the Mississippi River. In collaboration with partners, Interior has conducted control activities on 153,000 acres and removed more than 8.5 million pounds of Asian carp from the Illinois River.
Florida Everglades
In the Everglades, where Burmese pythons consume native wildlife and disrupt the ecosystem, a portion of the more than $20 billion the Administration has committed to restore the South Florida ecosystem will be used to combat pythons’ spread. Using new technologies such a radio telemetry, for the first time Interior is tracking pythons in different habitats to better understand their biology and ultimately more effectively control.
Western United States
To protect the Western United States from quagga and zebra mussels that annually cause more than $1 billion in economic impact and management costs, Interior launched numerous initiatives in 2017 in collaboration with western governors and federal, state and Tribal agencies. Since fiscal year 2017, Interior has invested approximately $41 million to implement actions such as boat inspections with states, and early detection of and rapid response to mussel invasions.
Guam
Interior has been supporting efforts to eradicate brown tree snakes in Guam, where they cause $4.5 million annually in damage to electric power, tourism, recreation and national security infrastructure. Over the past four years, the Office of Insular Affairs has provided more than $12 million for the Brown Tree Snake Control program to help islanders prevent the dispersal of the snakes from Guam to other vulnerable geographic areas in the Micronesia region.
It is a cooperative effort involving primarily Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services; the U.S. Department of Defense; and the governments of Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
When finalized, the strategic plan will allow Interior to be a more responsive partner to state and Tribal agency requests for federal assistance to combat invasive species without adding regulations that impede business and our economy.
The draft Invasive Species Strategic Plan is published in the Federal Register for a 60-day comment period.
Comments may be submitted via www.regulations.gov.