Invasive Species Protection

INVASIVE SPECIES Protection

By Alex Lucas, Communications Coordinator

FLORIDA’S CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTcreate a diverse array of wildlife. Many species flourishhere but can also become a nuisance or worse.

The scale of global trade and transportation can sometimes ferry unwanted passengers to Florida’s communities. When they arrive, the state’s quality of life and ecological systems can be placed at risk.

These invasive plants, animals and microbes can destroy food production, as well as edge out native plants and wildlife.

Trevor Smith, director of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Plant Industry (DPI), said, “On average a new invasive pest or disease is introduced in to the state twice a month.”

An example of this risk is the giant African land snail, introduced into Miami-Dade County in 2011 and considered to be one of the most damaging snails in the world.

These pests attack more than 500 different crops, including fruits, vegetables, peanuts, avocados and ornamental plants.

The snail not only harms our state but also poses a serious health threat to humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these creatures can carry parasites, salmonella or encephalitis. Homeowners are victims of this pest as well, as it has a proclivity for eating stucco siding on houses.

Since 2011, Florida has spent millions of dollars on the giant African land snail eradication program. Rapid breeding makes the snails difficult to eliminate. A single snail can deposit more than 1,000 eggs a year. However, because of diligent efforts of DPI, the end of the snail’s residency in

the Sunshine State is in sight.

“We’re on the verge of eradicating this pest for the second time since 1966,” said Smith.

DPI, as the plant-safeguarding authority of the state, has the task of identifying, tracking and eradicating invasive species once they enter the state. The agency’s staff inspects and certifies all of the state’s 15,000 plant nurseries and garden centers for pest and disease compliance.

“There are many pests and diseases in this state along with thousands of interceptions at the ports and interdiction stations. We constantly look at pathways and are pro-active in surveilling areas that are high risk,” added Smith.

The Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey or CAPS program identifies these pathways for pests and diseases and helps determine the risk for entry into the state. This is a joint effort between DPI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and

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Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

APHIS, working with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has primary responsibility for intercepting these many pests at Florida’s ports of entry.

“We work very closely with APHIS, unlike any other state,” said Smith, “An example of that is our collaborative work through the CAPS program. The major advantage of this federal and state partnership is the USDA is able to receive the data from the ports and we have the data from Florida, including nursery and interdiction station inspections, along with data from various surveys conducted statewide to identify what is high risk and then to inform personnel.

“They can look at interceptions at the ports to see what they need to be on the lookout for. We really cover the state and they can cover the ports to see what high risk is. The early detection program is a great example of collaborative work.”

The APHIS inspection station at the Port of Miami is the largest of 16 processing stations in the nation. With more than one billion plant

units processed in the facility, it has a major responsibility to protect the state from unwanted pests and diseases.

Because of the high volume of plant material passing through the facility, it serves as a sentinel for the rest of the APHIS stations, hosting a large staff of inspectors and taxonomists for identification. Over the last year they intercepted and identified more than 23,000 pests coming into the state.

“We have upwards of 80 to 90 percent of identifications that are completed in-house,” said Louis Volpe, APHIS Field Operations South Florida Area Director, “This applies for all Customs and Border Protection, ag produce and other traded material. It makes this a 24/7/365 day-a-year job.”

“Seaports are just one facet in a layered screening process for a variety of cargo products. Federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CBP are involved in screening cargo before it is even loaded on a container bound for the United States,” explained Doug Wheeler, President and CEO of the Florida Ports Council.

“We have a small window of opportunity for identification of

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pests and mitigative measures before they become a problem. Therefore, we need the help of all of these agencies and our stakeholders for surveillance, early detection and rapid response,” said Smith.

DPI has worked on many campaigns in collaboration with other agencies, including “Don’t Pack A Pest,” to warn about the risk associated with bringing plants, freshly harvested food and other items into Florida from foreign locations.

(PHOTOS COURTESY OF USDA/APHIS)