ABSTRACT
United States ............................................................................................ 410 21.3 Invasive Species Laws of the United States ............................................ 412
21.3.1 Federal Laws ............................................................................... 412 21.3.2 State Laws ................................................................................... 415
21.4 Invasive Species Policy: Preventing New Invasions ............................... 415 21.4.1 Ballast Water Regulation ............................................................ 416 21.4.2 Other Prevention Initiatives......................................................... 417 21.4.3 International Treaties................................................................... 418 21.4.4 Economic Modeling .................................................................... 418
21.5 Invasive Species Policy: Early Detection and Rapid Response .............. 421 21.6 Future of Invasive Species Management in the United States ................ 422 21.7 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 424 References ............................................................................................................. 424
On an almost daily basis, Americans are bombarded with news about threats facing their country: the possibility of another terrorist attack, the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, and the threat of global warming. Despite the near-constant attention these topics receive, the American public remains largely unaware of one significant threat to its economy and environment: that of biological invasions. Biological invaders are defined as species nonnative to a region, which cause or are likely to cause economic, environmental, or social harm to that region (Executive Order 13112, United States Government 1999). In recent history, with growth in human population, tourism, and international trade, the transport of biological invaders between continents has escalated at a marked rate. These trends are expected to continue in the coming decades (Le Maitre et al. 2004).
