Commentary: Everyone needs to work together on invasive species

Those working in agriculture are no strangers to the impacts of invasive species. Non-native weeds, plant diseases and insect pests have challenged producers for millennia. In California, the Department of Food and Agriculture and the state's network of county agricultural commissioners have a long-running commitment to limiting the introduction of such agricultural pests.

Only in recent years have those working in another field, that of natural resource protection and habitat restoration, begun to recognize the full extent to which invasive species impact their work as well. Invasive species are now acknowledged as a top threat to biodiversity, second only to outright habitat destruction. For lands that have been protected from development, invasives are the No. 1 threat.

At least half of the species federally listed as threatened or endangered are significantly impacted by invasive species, and invasives are implicated as primary stressors for 415 special status species in California according to the Department of Fish and Game. From Scotch broom in the Sierra foothills to pampas grass along the coast, from Saharan mustard in the Mojave Desert to knapweeds at the Oregon border, invasive plants are wreaking havoc on native ecosystems.

More than ever, agricultural and environmental stakeholders are seizing the opportunity to work together on conservation issues. Successful collaborations like the Rangeland Conservation Coalition or the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment show the great potential for joint efforts to address long-standing challenges. When diverse stakeholders build the trust necessary to work together, a synergy develops that benefits all participants. Nowhere is this approach more essential than in the invasive species arena.

When it comes to controlling invasive plants on the ground, weed workers recognize that "invasive plants ignore fences." Removing weeds on your property does not do much good if they move back in from a neighbor's land. To address this need for coordination, California borrowed a successful model from Idaho and Montana, forming Weed Management Areas (WMAs) at the local level. In the last decade, 45 WMAs have formed throughout California.

These collaborative groups bring together public agencies, private land managers, and conservation organizations to coordinate top-priority weed control projects. A project could, for instance, have Caltrans, the U.S. Forest Service, a land trust and a rancher all working together to address a mutual weed infestation that could not be effectively addressed by any one of the partners alone. With a small amount of state funding for seed grants, WMAs leverage diverse resources for on-the-ground to weed control, while keeping an eye out for new plants that might be spreading.

This same sort of coordination is critical at the state level as well. At least 20 state and federal agencies work on invasive species in California. Whether the pest is yellow starthistle, quagga mussel or red imported fire ant, effective response requires extensive coordination between these agencies. The state has strategic plans in place, but effective implementation is impossible without a formal interagency coordinating body given resources and responsibility to undertake the work.

Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii and Arizona have established such "Invasive Species Councils" in the last several years. It is high time that California did so as well. Our state has as many invasive species—and agencies—as any other state. New York recently created a state invasive species council and funded it at $5 million annually. Such funding is difficult to come by, but the cost of not addressing this problem will be far higher in the long run.

California faces continued increases in international trade, population pressure and climate change, all factors that make the state even more susceptible to new and spreading invasive species. In addition to the damage some of these species will do to agricultural production, some species will also have major impacts on our natural areas and the ecosystem services they provide—the water, fire protection, pollination and recreation we all depend on. To protect our environment and our agriculture, we need all hands on deck, working together.

(Doug Johnson is executive director of the nonprofit California Invasive Plant Council, a membership organization for land managers, researchers, volunteers and concerned citizens. Visit www.cal-ipc.org for more information on invasive plants in California. Johnson may be contacted at dwjohnson@cal-ipc.org.)

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.