“The U.S., jolted into action by the mushrooming magnitude of invasive plants and the damage they have wrought--and continue to cause-- has launched a new, internet-based effort to choke off domestic retail sales of banned plants as one phase of a strategy to limit further introduction and spread of invasive plant species.”
Scientists at the Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) at North Carolina State University, together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS), have developed a “web-crawler,” software that searches the internet for web sites selling plants officially defined as noxious weeds or invasive species*. The system, Agricultural Internet Monitoring System (AIMS), will be used primarily to locate, then notify, offending vendors, according to R.E. Stinner, lead researcher on the AIMS program.
Vendors identified by AIMS as offering banned species online will be notified and directed to stop selling the plants. AIMS will then keep track of retailers who continue to sell illegal plants; refusal to comply with notification can lead to prosecution and the possibility of substantial fines.
Depending on performance and results from the AIMS program, federal officials will consider developing a cooperative effort with equivalent organizations in other countries. Authorities in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa have expressed an interest in some form of joint effort.
*USDA/APHIS Regulated Pest List. or USDA/APHIS Regulated Pest List in PDF format. Pests other than weeds are listed (viruses, insects, bacteria, etc.)
For more information, contact Ron Stinner, CIPM, North Carolina State University, 919-515-1648.
To report internet sites offering prohibited plants for sale, contact Sherrena Harrison
Aquaphyte Contents | Aquaphyte page | Home