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Invasive species--non-native plants and animals from other parts of the world--are a threat to our native wildlife and ecosystems. The growing number of non-native invaders is causing ecological havoc in many of our most sensitive habitats, and pushing many of our native plants and animals to the brink of extinction.

Invasive species are a major threat to U.S. biodiversity, second only to habitat loss and degradation. Non-native invaders can also be a threat to human health, and cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars by rendering range lands unpalatable, clogging water intact pipes, and decimating commercial fisheries by serving as disease vectors. Unfortunately, global warming is expected to greatly exacerbate the impact of invasive species on our native wildlife and ecosystems.

Stopping the Invasion

Once invasive species become established and spread, it can be extraordinarily difficult and costly to control or eradicate them. As a result, the best approaches for dealing with the invasive species is to:

• Create effective mechanisms to prevent their introduction in the first place,
• Create monitoring systems for detecting new infestations,
• Move rapidly to eradicate newly detected invaders.
   

NWF works to attack the problem of invasive species by... 

• Serving as a lead partner in the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS), a national partnership that provides a scientific voice on invasive species policy.

• Establishing and strengthening federal policy restricting the importation of potentially damaging plant and animal species.

• Enacting new legislation to require treatment of ballast water in ocean-going vessels, a primary introduction pathway for damaging aquatic invasive species.

• Advocating for robust restoration funding in the Great Lakes and other major ecosystems to repair the damage caused by existing invasive species.

• Leading the charge to prevent Asian carp from entering and decimating the Great Lakes.