(Washington, DC) — The Environmental Law Institute® (ELI) announces the release of Cooperative Prevention of Invasive Wildlife Introduction in Florida. The report recommends ways in which state and federal agencies can more effectively prevent harmful nonnative wildlife from being introduced into Florida.
Nonnative wildlife species pose huge risks to Florida’s economy, environment, and public health. The Burmese python, for example, consumes threatened and endangered native species in the state’s natural areas, while the Gambian pouched rat is a known vector of monkeypox, a lethal virus. “Preventing the introduction of harmful nonnative animals into Florida’s environment is the most effective and inexpensive way to minimize their impacts,” said Read Porter, director of the Invasive Species Program at ELI.
The report examines the challenges posed by the current diffuse system of state and federal laws and regulations that govern the introduction of invasive wildlife into Florida’s environment. These patchwork legal authorities are independently administered by numerous state and federal agencies. Interagency cooperation is complicated by funding limitations and the specificity of each agency’s role.
“Florida and the federal government have taken some valuable steps to address the threats posed by nonnative wildlife, but further action is needed to make effective enforcement possible,” said Porter. The report highlights steps that would better protect Florida’s environment from these wildlife invaders, such as joint training for federal and state inspectors, joint federal-state enforcement actions to detect illegal wildlife shipments, and development of integrated electronic databases to enable inspectors to track wildlife import, sale, and purchase throughout the supply chain.
Several of ELI’s recommendations have already garnered attention from Congress and federal regulators. Proposed laws would require determination of the risks posed by nonnative wildlife before they may be imported into the United States. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed increasing the fees it charges for wildlife importation, and is considering listing the Burmese python and other known invasive reptiles as “injurious species.” The report offers support for each of these changes, which will significantly strengthen the regulatory system governing nonnative wildlife.
An electronic version of the report is available free of charge from ELI’s Web site at http://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/land_biodiversity_pubs.cfm#invasive.
Contact Read Porter directly at (202) 939-3810 or porter@eli.org.