Invasive cats, pigs and more plague most US parks, report warns. Can they be stopped?
National parks across the United States draw visitors with the promise of native wildlife sightings, beautiful landscapes and hiking opportunities.
But invasive species — everything from rats to Burmese pythons — have spread to more than half of national parks, according to new research published this week, which also offers suggestions for stopping non-native animals while safeguarding native species into the future.
“As Americans, we value national parks for the natural habitats and wildlife they protect, but because of invasive species, some of our native species are struggling or unable to survive, even with the protection of our park system,” said Virginia Tech wildlife conservation professor Ashley Dayer, lead author on the research, according to a university news release.
The research was published Monday in the journal “Biological Invasions” under the title: “The unaddressed threat of invasive animals in U.S. National Parks.”
The experts’ main finding? That invasive animals plaguing national parks undermine the core mission of the park service. That’s because non-native species threaten wildlife, carry disease, cost time and money, and make parks less appealing to visitors, according to the researchers.
Invading animals include the usual suspects — rats, cats and feral pigs — as well as water-dwelling lake trout, quagga mussels and the more exotic Burmese python.
Researchers write that although the National Park Service has used agency-wide programs to tackle invasive plants for almost 20 years, there hasn’t been a similar program targeting invasive animals.
The experts said a broad, coordinated and well-funded effort to tackle invasive animals would be a good way to meet the challenge, because individual parks “are struggling to sufficiently address the threat of invasive terrestrial and aquatic animal species.”
In fact, there are no plans at all to deal with most invasive species at national parks: There are 1,409 populations of 311 invasive animals at U.S. national parks, researchers said, but only 23 percent have management plans — and only 11 percent are contained.
“There’s 419 national parks — not every park is going to have a cadre of biologists that have the experience and the horsepower to deal with the problems,” said David Hallac, an author of the report and superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, the BBC reports.
What happens if nothing is done to stop the invaders?
“If we don’t take action, native species will continue to struggle due to the invasives,” Dayer said. “But taking action is no small feat; it requires the commitment and resources of the National Park Service, neighboring lands, and the public.”
The findings come after the agency asked Dayer and others to analyze how they can best combat invasive species.
“Nationally and internationally, the world is losing native biodiversity at an alarming rate,” Elaine Leslie, former chief of the National Park Service’s Biological Resource Management Division, said in a statement. “Threats from invasive species play a critical part in this loss.”
The researchers singled out Everglades National Park in Florida in the Virginia Tech news release, pointing to the park’s infamous invasive Burmese pythons, which grow up to 23 feet long and feast on native opossums and raccoons.
“Our national parks face a suite of wicked management problems, with the invasive species standing out for the sheer diversity of species, the geographic spread of their impact, the magnitude of the threat, and the complexity of solutions,” said author Mark Schwartz, a professor of conservation science at the University of California, Davis.
Schwartz mentioned a couple of examples of local success that could guide nationwide strategies against invasive animals.
“After a false start, Yellowstone regrouped, sought broad public input, and now has an effective program to manage invasive lake trout,” he said. “Working with the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, the NPS has coordinated with other agencies, tribes, and private parties to control the invasive sacred ibis. More such collaborative efforts are needed.”
Dayer also said everyone — not just experts — should play a role in stopping invasive species.
“The public can be part of the solution,” Dayer said, according to CNN. “From the most basic of making sure we don’t have new introductions of invasive species, such as being responsible pet owners and making sure that exotic pets that become pests aren’t released.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Invasive cats, pigs and more plague most US parks, report warns. Can they be stopped?."
