Sunday, April 14, 2002

CAST Report on Invasive Pests

The latest issue of the online journal of news in the life sciences, The Scientist, has an article by Barry A. Palevitz on "The Continuing Saga of Invasive Species." You have to be registered with the site to view the article, which is about the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology's recent report on "Invasive Pest Species: Impacts on Agricultural Production, Natural Resources, and the Environment".

If you prefer, you can link directly to the CAST report, in .pdf form, by clicking here. Published in March 2002, it's mostly a typical introduction to the invasive species issue, i.e. how did they get here, why are they bad for the environment, how much do they cost, etc. The focus on invasive "pests" means it covers viruses, fungi and other pathogens, as well as insects and other animals...no plants here! The report ends with a nice list of policy recommendations, with public education at the top of the list.

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