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THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE: THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S RESPONSE TO INVASIVE SPECIES
Citation:
Lee II, H, M. Tuchman, M Slimak, R Landy, R G. Kreis, M. Katz, R. Jones, W. Holland, J. Heisler, P. Christich, AND J. Cabreza. THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE: THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S RESPONSE TO INVASIVE SPECIES. Presented at 12th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species, Ontario, Canada, June 2003.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responding to the scientific and regulatory challenges of invasive species in a variety of ways. One response has been to use existing programs and regulations, as appropriate, to address invasive species. A recent example is the granting of an emergency exemption under FIFRA, the act that authorizes the registration of pesticides, to permit the application of caffeine to control two species of exotic frogs in Hawaii. Another area were the EPA is playing an important role is in the U.S.-Canada Boundary Waters Treaty, which requires prevention and control of aquatic invasive species to avoid and minimize as much as possible harm to the biological and aquatic integrity of inland boundary waters along the 5,500-miles border. The EPA also has an important role in ballast water management, including participation in the setting of international ballast water standards through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the evaluation of ballast water treatment technologies. Another type of response has been to incorporate invasive species into EPA programs not originally designed to address exotic species. With the growing awareness of their potential ecological impacts, half of the 28 National Estuary Programs (NEPs) have recently identified invasive species as a moderate or major threat. Invasive species have also been identified as a serious risk in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes Programs. EMAP, EPA's large-scale monitoring program for surface waters and estuaries, has recently incorporated invasive species as a measure of ecological condition along with pollutants. Other efforts are being undertaken to design ecosystem restoration methods to minimize the intentional use of non-native species and the unintentional spread of invasive species. Yet another type of response has been to conduct the research needed to predict ecosystem vulnerability and the ecological risks associated with invasive species. Such research is being conducted within the EPA and funded through EPA's grant program. An example of joint EPA-academic research is an effort to predict a habitat's vulnerability to invasion by specific invaders using the "Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Prediction" (GARP) model. An example of an EPA research effort is the evaluation of patterns of invasion in West coast estuaries as they relate to exposure to ballast water discharges and oyster culture. Even with these efforts, many challenges remain, including: 1) developing techniques/management practices to minimize the introductions of new aquatic invaders; 2) developing rapid assessment approaches to identify and control new aquatic invaders; and 3) developing the understanding and tools to predict the impacts of invasive species on key ecosystem functions (e.g., sedimentation) especially as they relate to ecosystem condition, water quality, and pollutant fate and effects.