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Apologies if this is covered in the program, but none of the discussion here seems to address the origin of invasive species. Where are they coming from? The trade in exotic pets is low hanging fruit, but how significant is it, really? How much comes from pathways related to international trade? Does anyone know? Probably not because of poor record keeping on the part of the Department of Agriculture and the federal inspection services at our borders. But I suspect that this is where our system fails us; has commerce clouded our perception?

Better inspections, better enforcement, and better detection and eradication efforts around ports of entry will almost certainly yield better results than very expensive and controversial after-the-fact eradication efforts. I don't mean to say that tackling problems like tamarisk and purple loosestrife is not a priority, but does it make sense to mop the floor while the sink is still overflowing? The first step is to turn off the tap.

posted 5 years ago
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