by Randall K. Stocker, Director of the UF-IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
and Chair of ISAC
In February 1999, the Clinton Administration responded to pressure from scientists, resource managers, environmentalists, and many others by issuing Executive Order 13112, Invasive Species. Among other provisions, the Executive Order required the Secretary of Interior to establish an advisory committee “to provide information and advice for consideration by the [Invasive Species] Council.” The Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC), as it came to be called, was to be composed of individuals “representing stakeholders,” with a broad definition of who would be considered stakeholders in the invasive species issue, including non-federal government agencies, the scientific community, non-governmental organizations, trade groups, commercial interests, and private landowners. This group would be asked to “...recommend plans and actions at [local to ecosystem-based] levels to achieve the goals and objectives of the Management Plan,” also called for by the Executive Order. These recommendations would be addressed to the “Invasive Species Council” (now the “National Invasive Species Council” or NISC), composed of the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. NISC is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Interior, Agriculture and Commerce. There is currently a small staff, lead by Executive Director of the Council Lori Williams.
The goals of the NISC/ISAC process included efforts to prevent the introduction of invasive species; detect and respond rapidly to control invasive species; monitor invasive species populations; restore native species and habitats; and promote public education.
The first ISAC meeting was held in January 2000 in Washington, DC, and ISAC members were appointed for two-year terms. Since then, ISAC has meet three times per year, with the most recent meeting held 29-30 October 2003. I was appointed to the first ISAC group, and re-appointed in April 2002 for a second term, serving as ISAC chair. With the approaching conclusion of my second term (my last meeting will be March 2004), this is an appropriate time to review some of the expectations for ISAC and the subsequent performance of the partners in this process.
At the first meeting, the Advisory Committee was asked to help executive branch agencies target resources and address invasive species issues in a coordinated fashion to identify threats and eradicate invasives where possible. We were asked to outline policy options, and to strive for practical, budget-based recommendations from the best available science on resource management. Members were informed that their deliberations would have far reaching consequences, even international importance.
Results thus far: The Executive Order and the General Accounting Office have asked federal agencies to identify current federal expenditures on invasive species, an important starting point for tracking total federal budget allocations. ISAC assisted in the development of this country’s first National Invasive Species Management Plan. There has been a general increase in awareness of the invasive species issue by federal agency, Congressional, and state agency staff. Public awareness has increased as the media reports on new problems. Academic programs reflect this increase in awareness as more campuses develop curricula on invasive species and new centers/institutes are created. There are still many areas where progress has been limited or non-existent: deadlines in the National Management Plan were too optimistic and most have been missed; changes in administration and staffing have delayed progress; and the fundamental role that the Advisory Committee could play with members of the National Invasive Species Council has not clearly been defined. Still, significant progress has been made that deserves recognition, and the scientific community, and especially professional societies such as the Weed Science Society of America and the Aquatic Plant Management Society, were key factors in that progress.
For more information, go to: http://www.invasivespecies.gov
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