Invasive Species IPM Working Group: Overview

This working group, funded in 2010, focuses on invasive species for New England and New York. Invasive plant and animal species have resulted in losses in both natural and managed landscapes of over $120 billion per year. Regional efforts to address invasive species in the Northeast have generally been fragmented by target species, taxa, or ecosystems impacted, with little coordination across species and taxa or between the many instate and regional groups working on these issues. The group will increase coordination among the individuals, agencies, and organizations working in New England and parts of New York and will assess the threats to this subregion. Project directors are working to

• exchange information on invasive species efforts (via councils, advisory boards and/or networks);
• assist one another with instate coordination efforts and assessing the needs of stakeholders within individual states; and
• prioritize specific regional IPM outreach and research needs for invasive species that reflect the input from each of the state invasive species councils.