STATEMENT OF LORI WILLIAMS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL

BEFORE THE HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON

ENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

on NON-NATIVE SPECIES

July 26, 2001

Council structure and role regarding invasive species

Invasive species come in all sizes, shapes and varieties. Although there are hundreds of non-native species in this country, only a small percentage is considered to be invasive. They can be plants, animals, insects, pathogens or parasites. They can occur in both land and marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments; examples include the Nutria, which is a semi-aquatic rodent that destroys wetlands, including over one million acres within National Wildlife Refuges. According to USDA, over $30 million has been spent in efforts to control the Asian long horned beetle that has destroyed trees in Chicago and New York and, if eradication is unsuccessful, may spread to the entire northeastern United States. Formosan termites threaten the unique historical resources in New Orleans and elsewhere. Giant Salvina is an aquatic weed that can quickly spread and choke off waterways. Pathogens such as plum pox and citrus canker destroy valuable agricultural crops. West Nile virus, which can kill horses and birds and is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that feed on infected animals, has spread to 14 Eastern states and the District of Columbia since its introduction several years ago. Invasive species all have one thing in common B they cause great harm to the environment, the economy, and in some cases animal and human health throughout the nation and around the world.

Invasive species do not respect jurisdictional or bureaucratic boundaries. They impact federal land and water resources, states, tribal interests, local governments, private landowners and commercial interests as well as the resources and economies of other nations. Therefore, an effective response to these biological invasions must be coordinated, inter-departmental and multi-jurisdictional.

The National Invasive Species Council was established in February 1999 by Executive Order 13112. The Order was drafted in response to a letter from 500 scientists and land managers expressing concern about invasive species and the lack of a coordinated, strategic approach among the over 22 federal agencies involved in dealing with the problem. The Council members are the Secretaries of ten federal departments with invasive species responsibilities. It is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Agriculture (USDA), Interior, and Commerce. Other members include the Departments of Treasury, Transportation, State, Defense, Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Agency for International Development. The Council coordinates all types of federal invasive species efforts including all taxa; and works closely with other coordinating bodies on specific aspects of the issue, such as the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF) represented here today. The Executive Order also created an Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). This 32-member group of non-federal stakeholders represents diverse geographic areas, expertise and interests. ISAC has provided critical focus and input to the Council=s work, and includes academic experts and researchers.

EO 13112 called on the Council to develop a strategic blueprint for coordinated and effective federal action to reduce the impacts of invasive species. The National Invasive Species Management Plan was finalized early this year following an extensive process of public involvement. The Plan is the first document to set out a comprehensive federal action plan on invasive species. The Executive Order calls for measurement of federal agency performance to determine the long-term effectiveness of actions in controlling invasive species. Expensive operations to contain species need to demonstrate that they are achieving results towards a desired outcome. It includes 57 action items related to coordination and leadership, prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, restoration, international cooperation, education and outreach and research. Both the Executive Order and the Plan emphasize the importance of working jointly and cooperatively with state and local governments, private landowners, industry and other stakeholders. In fact, the bulk of control costs for many invasive species are born by state and local governments. Full implementation of the Plan and building successful partnerships with state and local governments will greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of federal efforts to combat invasive species.

Currently, Council departments and agencies are beginning the process of implementing the action items called for in the Plan. Many items can be implemented within current budgets and authorities. Committees and task teams are being set up to implement action items in the Plan that require extensive coordination; many of these groups will include members of ISAC, the states and other stakeholders. A number of Plan action items will require new proposals the details of which have not yet been developed. Council staff is in the process of briefing new Administration officials about these aspects of the Plan.

What research does the Council conduct to assist in this role?

The Council's small staff does not itself conduct research, although several staff members have extensive research backgrounds. The Council includes agencies, which have bureaus such as the Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service (Research and Development Division), the Economic Research Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and others that conduct invasive species research. In addition, the Council contains many agencies that contribute to research efforts and utilize research results to combat invasive species, such as the Cooperative State Education and Extension Service. ISAC includes a number of academics and members representing private sector organizations that conduct and utilize research. In addition, the Plan recognizes research as an essential underpinning of all efforts to prevent and control invasive species.

What is the best way to identify priorities and allocate resources for research to support the various ways of addressing threats from invasive species?

The Council=s role is to help coordinate overall research efforts on invasive species, especially research issues which are common across taxa or relate to broader invasive species issues -- as opposed to specific research topics, such as development of ballast water technologies which are coordinated by ANSTF. Outside input is important to ensuring that research conducted will be targeted to high priority issues and that products resulting from the research will be utilized. The Council supports a more effective national response to invasive species, including a targeted scientific effort linked to management needs. The Council is directed by the Executive Order to encourage planning and action at local, tribal, state, regional and ecosystem-based levels. It is also charged with getting input from ISAC and other stakeholders about federal invasive species efforts, including research issues.

Council activities and structure assist in coordinating efforts. The Council and ISAC meet about three times per year, however meetings of Council technical representatives occur throughout the year. The three liaisons from the co-chair departments and the Council's staff of seven work together at the South building of the Interior Department. In addition, the Department of Commerce=s liaison to the Council, and a Council detailee from USDA, work directly with ANSTF providing a direct link to the Task Force. These working relationships enhance coordination efforts.

Coordinated research planning is essential to avoid unnecessary duplication of research efforts wasting limited resources; develop a coherent research plan; and maximize collaborative synergy among researchers. The Plan directs that the Council work with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Science Foundation and Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) to improve overall research capacity to address invasive species. In addition, the Plan directs the Council to prepare a comprehensive invasive species crosscut budget, including research. This will provide an important tool for research planning and coordination. The Council will provide an informational chart summarizing current invasive species funding related to research for the Committee. It will provides the initial information we can build upon to develop a comprehensive crosscut budget.

During the Plan development process, the Council requested input from ISAC and other stakeholders about high-priority research needs. Several important areas of emphasis and research gaps are highlighted in the Plan. One gap identified is the need for additional research to improve our ability to assess the risk of a non-native species becoming invasive and better information about which species are invasive in other nations to better target prevention efforts.

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Key recommendations of the Plan in the research area include:

_ An investigation of the "lag period" associated with many invasive species that occur between initial introduction, establishment, and invasion outbreaks to understand why species long present in an area suddenly become invasive. The Brazilian pepper tree in Florida is a dramatic example of this issue.

_ Research to expedite the identification of effective and environmentally sound control methods that can be used for rapid response efforts designed to eradicate or stop the spread of newly discovered invasive species before they become established and spread. Currently, there is no method to eradicate or control the invasive spotted jellyfish (Phyllorhiza) that threaten Gulf fisheries and other resources.

_ Research on how and to what extent invasive species affect populations of native species, endangered and threatened species, habitats, and biodiversity. Experts estimate that invasive species have contributed to the placement of up to 46 percent of the plants and animals listed under the Endangered Species Act (according to a study completed by David Wilcove). The brown tree snake alone is likely to have driven nine of Guam=s eleven native land bird species to extinction.

_ Determine how and to what extent (including economic impacts) invasive species alter ecosystem functions (e.g., water quality, hydrology, nutrient cycling, and disturbance regimes such as fire cycles), agricultural, economic, and social processes. The critical task of educating and informing the public about the true impacts of invasive species is impossible without sound data and research. In many cases information is anecdotal or incomplete.

_ Develop and test monitoring methods and tools, necessary to support prevention, and containment of invasive species. Monitoring is essential to determine the nature and scope of the problem and test whether management strategies are working.

_ The research planning process is greatly enhanced by inter-disciplinary exchanges among scientists. The Plan calls for scientific exchanges by researchers from around the U.S. and internationally

Most importantly, research priorities need to be closely tied to the central goals of the overall strategy to combat invasive specie. Research results also need to be Auser-friendly@ and broadly disseminated to stakeholders and field personnel.

How are research efforts conducted by various agencies, institutions and universities coordinated? And how does this research and coordination, or lack thereof, lead to implementation of research results?

Council member departments and agencies address multiple research topics, only one of which is invasive species. Each agency has its own procedures and authorities in place to determine its research priorities and obtain public input on those priorities. For example, USDA=s Agricultural Research Service conducts national research planning workshops in locations all over the country to get public and stakeholder input. The Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service holds public meetings around the country to solicit public input on their programs. There also are a number of targeted efforts to coordinate different aspects of invasive species research. As you will hear today from Mr. Dave Evans, ANSTF works to coordinate aquatic research. The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) established an interagency Task Team on Invasive Species to assist with the coordination of federal invasive species efforts. *

A central goal of the Council=s Management Plan is to improve coordination on the full spectrum of invasive species with additional input from outside stakeholders. Most of the Plan=s research action items relate to this central goal. The process of partnering with stakeholders early in the research planning process and maintaining those ties as research is conducted helps increases the likelihood that the research results will be appropriate for stakeholder needs and will be transferred to stakeholders and implemented. The Plan calls for the Council to work with stakeholders to identify personnel and resources needed to sustain fundamental research and tactical or field-level scientific support for invasive species efforts both in terms of direct federal efforts and enhancement of current competitive grants programs as well as support of public and private research. It is clear no one entity or institution can provide all the research support needed to answer the complex questions raised by invasive species. A coordinated approach to encourage federal, state, university and private efforts to target key invasive species questions will provide the best results possible for the least resources.

Does the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 need to be updated to reflect the role of the Council will play in coordinating interagency research efforts on invasive species?

The Administration is in the process of developing a position on the reauthorization of NISA. However, it is clear that Council members strongly support the current legislation and that the establishment of the ANSTF by NISA significantly strengthened invasive species programs directed at aquatic species. Thus far, NISA has focused almost exclusively on aquatic species, whereas the Council deals with all types and taxa of invasive species. Currently, the Council has a very close and cooperative relationship with the ANSTF, with several staff serving as liaisons to both the Council and to ANSTF. ANSTF was involved in drafting the Plan and is helping to implement specific action items of the Management Plan.

Strategic research goals

The Management Plan sets out a number of broad strategic research objectives to support coordinated action on invasive species. It is to be up-dated every two years and provides an overall blueprint that will be augmented by more specific research planning efforts conducted by member agencies. Much work remains to be done to implement the action items outlined in the Plan and ensure adequate stakeholder input. Development of a comprehensive crosscut budget as discussed above would assist with planning, prioritization and leveraging of federal research efforts. Additional work to build partnerships with state and private research efforts (also discussed above) is essential. Given the scope and complexity of this issue, while elements of other approaches to other issues are helpful, no single model may be adequate. In addition to the Council and the Plan providing an all-taxa government-wide context for more specific efforts, elements of the inter-agency approaches to deal with wildfires, restore the Florida Everglades, and protect coral reefs are also relevant. More targeted efforts to coordinate research, such as ANSTF, are also essential.

What tools has the Council established for the determining the threat that a non-indigenous species poses in terms of it becoming an invasive species, and is this an area that needs further attention from Congress?

Prevention is a major emphasis of both Executive Order 13112 and the work of the Council. Federal efforts play an extremely important role in this area, including longstanding and ongoing efforts by USDA, DOI, and other Council members (including Treasury and Commerce). The Management Plan emphasizes the need for additional research to help evaluate which species are likely to become invasive as well as development of other information and tools to aid prevention. International cooperation in research and other areas is critical to improving prevention. In addition, the Plan proposes that screening processes for different types of invasive species be developed and tested in consultation with stakeholders. A key aspect of this will be to build on our existing science-based risk assessment process to develop a comprehensive and coordinated risk assessment process for all taxa to ensure that species brought in for commercial sale do not become invasive. Congressional support for sustained research that provides the scientific underpinning for this effort may be necessary if we are to better prevent the introduction of invasive species. The Plan also calls for additional efforts and research to examine and address the highest risk pathways B the means by which invasive species move into the country and between regions.

Conclusion

The National Invasive Species Council=s mission is to improve coordination and effectiveness of federal efforts to deal with all types of invasive species and work cooperatively with the many stakeholders affected by this problem. There are many good programs and worthwhile research efforts that deal with invasive species at both the federal and state levels. Rather than create new programs, the goal of the Council and the Plan is to help work cooperatively to set research priorities to provide the greatest support for the overall goals of preventing and minimizing the harmful affects of invasive species on our environment, economy and in some cases our health. Thank you for your time and attention. I will be pleased to answer your questions.