National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2013

by Laurie Sheldon
History and Definition On Feb 3, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13112 - a critical piece of legislature on the environmental front. It established a multi-agency task force (the National Invasive Species Council) to deal with the management of "invasive species," which it defined as a species: that is both non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration andwhose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.These "invaders" present themselves in many forms, and include (but are not limited to) plants, animals, and pathogens.
Causing Harm
Invasives may feed on fish and wildlife and/or cause widespread illness. Invasive pathogens can kill forest trees. Invasive plants compete with natives for resources like light, food and space, often interfering with their growth, reproduction, and development, and increasing their risk of extinction. Invasives can cause humans harm as w…
History and Definition On Feb 3, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13112 - a critical piece of legislature on the environmental front. It established a multi-agency task force (the National Invasive Species Council) to deal with the management of "invasive species," which it defined as a species: that is both non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration andwhose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.These "invaders" present themselves in many forms, and include (but are not limited to) plants, animals, and pathogens.
Causing Harm
Invasives may feed on fish and wildlife and/or cause widespread illness. Invasive pathogens can kill forest trees. Invasive plants compete with natives for resources like light, food and space, often interfering with their growth, reproduction, and development, and increasing their risk of extinction. Invasives can cause humans harm as w…