Number: 2000-01
WHEREAS, some non-indigenous invasive plants, animals and other organisms have an adverse impact upon indigenous communities by reducing available light, water, nutrients, and space and can cause other long term changes in the area’s hydrology, soil chemistry and erodibility, and the frequency of fires; and WHEREAS, some introduced non-indigenous plants, animals and other organisms are highly invasive, capable of rapid reproduction and/or growth resulting in the displacement of indigenous species, and can radically change an area’s physical and/or biological environment so that the habitat requirements for indigenous plants, animals and other organisms no longer exist; and
WHEREAS, non-indigenous invasive plants, animals and other organisms by nature are easily spread from one area to another; and
WHEREAS, the impact of non-indigenous invasive species threatens regional biodiversity in a manner that is not easily quantified; for example, the loss of an indigenous plant community to non-indigenous invasive species may mean the loss of an insect, animal or indigenous plant dependent upon that community; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Park Service,”invasions of non-native plants are the second greatest threat to native species after direct habitat destruction”; and
WHEREAS, the US Fish and Wildlife Service stated, “an estimated 42% of the nation’s endangered and threatened species have declined as a result of encroaching exotic plants and animals”; and
WHEREAS, the problem of non-indigenous invasive plants is widespread and, according to federal and other accounts, now extend into more than 1.5 million acres of national park land and are spreading at a rate of 4,600 acres per day into federally owned land; and
WHEREAS, it is “estimated that in the 20th century, just 79 introduced plant and animal species have cost the US economy $97 billion in losses to such industries as forestry, ranching, fisheries, tourism, and utilities”; and
WHEREAS, research is required to establish best management practices to control and prevent the spread of non-indigenous invasive species; and
WHEREAS, international trade agreements and rules, regulations, and protocols related to international transportation and trade can significantly affect the possible transportation of non-indigenous invasive species into the United States and other countries;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 16-18, 2000, in Seattle, Washington, supports the President’s efforts in establishing the Invasive Species Council to integrate efforts of federal agencies to combat the problem and to prepare and issue the first edition of a National Invasive Management Plan that shall “detail and recommend performance-oriented goals and objectives and specific measures of success for federal agency efforts concerning invasive species”; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports increased federal funding for non-indigenous invasive species management in National Parks and on other federal lands and/or waters, and the continued funding of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) that, in part, provides cost sharing for private initiatives to control non-native (invasive) plants from natural ecosystems”; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation encourages state and federal agencies, universities and other groups to work together to identify and list the highly and potentially invasive non-indigenous species specific to that state, and to promote that the list be used as an educational and managerial tool; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon state and federal agencies to carefully formulate regulations to control, reduce, or, if necessary, prohibit the introduction, transportation, propagation, sale, or distribution of non-indigenous plants known to be harmful or otherwise undesirable; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation encourages state and federal agencies, universities, and other groups to work with the nursery industry to establish policies to control and prevent the further introduction and spread of non-indigenous invasive species, and to promote a list of alternative, preferably native plants, that can be the basis of educational programs that will benefit growers, the public, and the environment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation encourages state and federal entities engaged in research and development involving management of vegetation to intensify their studies of ecology and control of invasive non-indigenous plants; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges monitoring of areas that have endangered or threatened species and/or are relatively free of non-indigenous invasive species and encourages careful management practices to be used in the removal of non-indigenous invasive species; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the Congress and federal agencies to ensure that the United States’ international trade obligations, including the World Trade Organization and its Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, are formulated and implemented to provide sufficient flexibility to allow for regulations to control and prohibit intentional or unintentional introduction of non-indigenous invasive species and other organisms into the United States and other countries; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the Congress of the United States to recognize the high environmental and economic costs associated with non-indigenous invasive plants, animals and other organisms and to appropriately fund efforts to control this enormous national environmental crisis through educational programs, research, and cost-share incentives to restore native habitats.