041103 Invasive Species Find

April 11, 2003

Invasive Species Find Florida to Their Liking

Conservationists are warning that the Florida's problem with invasive species must be addressed immediately. A new booklet on the issue, compiled by the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, details the severity of the situation, as nonnative plants and animals continue to destroy native habitats and species. "The problem of invasive, non-native species grows exponentially worse each day," said Vicki Tschinkel, director of the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. "The time to act is now." "There is a point in the proliferation of these invaders where intervention can be effective, but unfortunately it is a very small window of opportunity," Tschinkel said. The organization is passing the booklet, titled "Stopping the Spread" to state legislators and agency heads in an attempt to get them to recognize the seriousness and scale of the issue. They recommend that environmental trust fund balances be maintained to ensure money is available to stem the crisis and suggest ways to stem the tide and reduce the destructive impacts caused by invasive species.

Florida spends more than $45 million every year to battle invasives such as predatory catfish and Australian melaleuca but new problems continue to arise. The state's agricultural industry is estimated to lose some $180 each year because of invasive species. The organization cites the state's success in combating the pink hibiscus mealy bug in 2001 as a sign of hope. But this required careful planning and investment and this approach needs to be developed for many other invasive species. At least one state official finds the organization's warning a good one. "There is no doubt that the problem of non-native invasive species is an enormous one for Florida," said Charles Bronson, Florida's commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "We must act decisively and on several fronts to combat these invasions, and we must act soon if we want a chance to beat this problem."
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