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Submodule 8: Ecological Impacts
Agriculture and Invasive Species
The leading invasive species threats to American agriculture are insects, weeds, and pathogens. The best method for combating the effects of these invasive organisms is to prevent their initial entry into the country. But, once they have entered the U.S., aggressive strategies are needed to control their establishment and spread.
The U.S. government, through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), established the Animal and Plant Health inspection Service (APHIS) primarily to protect and promote agricultural health as one of its primary responsibilities. APHIS is currently challenged in protecting these interests because of the growing amount of global agricultural trade. The agency operates the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) programs and, through which it oversees the following activities:
- Exotic pest and disease exclusion: responsible for preventing the entry and establishment of exotic pests and diseases through activities such as issuing permits for importing plants and animals, conducting port-of-entry inspections, and alerting trading partners of the organisms that seemingly pose the greatest risks;
- Pest detection: surveillance of intrastate and international trade involving plants and animals through partnerships with other federal, state, and local agencies, and in cooperation with North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); and
- Pest management programs: provide information and assistance on methods of pest control and non-indigenous organisms that become established in the U.S.
With international trade valued at over $50 billion, APHIS has become involved in promoting plant and animal health in other countries. The agency also serves a role in wildlife damage management, animal welfare, human health and safety, and ecosystem protection from invasive pests and pathogens.
APHIS provides many services to help track and control plant and animal disease primarily involving invasive organisms:
- National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS), with public access available through PestTracker, is an electronic database that collects, summarizes, and standardizes information on plant pests including information on insects, diseases, weeds, and nematodes in the U.S. Data is compiled from states and the Plant Protection and Quarantine service and submitted to a central computer for storage and processing. By accessing NAPIS through PestTracker, users can find current information on pest conditions and associated information such as pest distribution, regulatory status, fact sheets, and host crops.
- Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) is a joint effort by federal and state agricultural agencies to identify, detect, and monitor agricultural crop pests and biological control agents, most of which are non-indigenous organisms.
- Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) has three legally mandated responsibilities:
- Protect American agriculture from foreign plant pest introduction and establishment.
- Facilitate export of American agricultural products.
- Control or eradicate pests as authorized by legislation and regulation.
PPQ has compiled the following pest lists:
- Regulated Plant Pest List (RPPL) - pests identified in the U.S Code of Federal Regulations, including those affecting imported plants and animals as well as those identified as known to have potential to cause ecological damage in the U.S.
- Offshore Pest Information System (OPIS) Target Pest List – organisms identified as potentially dangerous to the U.S. but not yet in the country.
- Global Pest and Disease Database (GPDD) - a compilation of exotic invasive species of concern to the U.S and developed from several sources; serves as a secure electronic library of scientific information about exotic pests.
- National Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) Target Pest List – see above.
- Select Agent List – contains biological agents and toxins that have been determined by APHIS to potentially pose a severe threat to plant health or to plant products.
The USDA created the National Information System for Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Centers. These provide information about commodities, pests, pest management practices, and people and issues related to pest management. Management strategies for specific crops, including biological control and pesticide use, current research, alerts for new pest outbreaks, and information on funding opportunities are also available, as are links to sites for each of the four Regional IPM Centers: northeastern, north central, southern, and western.
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