Author
Carey Minteer
c.minteerkillian@ufl.edu
University of Florida
Fort Pierce
Coauthors
Melissa C. Smith, USDA-ARS, Fort Lauderdale, USA
Sara S. MacDonald, St. Lucie County Extension, Fort Pierce, USA
Philip Clark, USDA-ARS, Fort Lauderdale, USA
Abstract
Invasive plants pose serious threats to biodiversity worldwide. Effective management typically involves cultural, chemical, and biological control methods. While cultural and chemical strategies have established protocols for addressing new invasions quickly, biological control is often only considered after significant negative impacts occur. Mounting evidence supports strong early investments in proactive prevention and early biological control as more cost-effective than reactive measures. We present a case study from Florida, USA with Acacia auriculiformis that illustrates the utility of early intervention that builds on cooperative efforts between state, federal, and international parties. The key strengths of earlier intervention include enhanced collaboration and training opportunities to further support conservation efforts and lessen negative impact from invasive plants. Challenges arise from an increasingly grim funding environment that often over emphasizes reaction-based approaches, and lack of knowledge over unrealized costs or savings from thwarting species invasions. We propose an additional framework that involves risk assessments and horizon scanning to prioritize and identify targets, literature searches and cursory field searches to find potential control agents, and resource sharing among regions with similar challenges.
keywords
Proactive biocontrol
Pre-emptive biocontrol
Acacia
Horizon scanning
Highlights
Mounting evidence supports strong early investments in proactive prevention and early biocontrol
Proactive, multiagency cooperation can lead to faster implementation for biological control.
Key strengths of earlier intervention include enhanced collaboration and training opportunities.