Lessen the impact of climate
change – go native
By Patricia Behnke
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
MyFWC.com
A healthy ecosystem requires a
delicate balancing act among all
species. Florida’s sometimes fragile
ecosystems are poised on a balance
beam as a growing population and
changing climate challenge wildlife
managers.
Florida’s environment complicates
the issues, because it is a welcoming
host to invasive plant species. It
also covers two climate zones
– subtropical and temperate, “Reducing the negative impacts of
allowing some invasive species
to invade other regions with
invasive species should better enable
impunity. natural ecosystems to withstand the
According to a 2006 report threats of climate change.”
from the U.S. Geological Survey
on invasive species and climate
change, “If climates change, then
new invasive species may disperse
into novel climate regions.”
The report urges managers on the
edge of an invasive species’ range to
be aggressive in treating the spread
of those nonnative species that take
over a region and hold ecosystems
hostage in a battle with native
species for supremacy.
“Highly disturbed landscapes are
more prone to invasion by nonnative
plant species,” said Don Schmitz
with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission’s (FWC)
Invasive Plant Management Section.
“Just look at the Everglades – a highly in climate, but wildlife managers in
disturbed ecosystem. Disturbance
has left it more prone to invasives,
such as the Brazilian pepper plant.”
The growth of the nonnative
Brazilian pepper has damaged
mangroves, and as predicted sea-
level changes occur, the mangroves
will feel some of the first effects.
The invasion of Brazilian pepper
creates a battlefield in the mangrove
communities. And quite a community FWC’s Invasive Plant Management
it is – mangroves support all manner Section funded nearly $1 million in
of flora and fauna in the Everglades development and introduction of a
and other brackish estuaries along moth that preliminary field research
the coast. Without mangroves, a indicates will destroy the ability of
variety of wildlife also would vanish, this fern to form dense canopies that
including invertebrates, fish, birds, destroy native tree communities.
amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The research has been led by the
Florida softshell turtles and U.S. Department of Agriculture,
alligators; bobcats and manatees; with funding support from the
cattle egrets and brown pelicans; FWC and the South Florida Water
snook and cobia – all of these species Management District.
and many more call the mangroves The USDA spent five years host-
home and depend upon their foliage, testing in Australia and Florida
roots and shelter for sustenance. before introducing the moth at
The FWC recently published a Jonathan Dickinson State Park, in
report on its climate change summit Martin County, in January 2008. The
held last year. One of the summit’s USDA reported in January 2009,
“During the year since the
moth’s release and subsequent
release at two other sites in
the park, it has developed very
large numbers and has begun
to subdue the weed through
the activities of its leaf-feeding
– National Invasive Species Council caterpillars.”
It is true that environmental
workshops dealt with the effects of and wildlife managers must do
invasive organisms on biodiversity their part on a large scale, but as
during climate change. Greg Holder, individuals, we can do our part to
the FWC’s Southwest Region regional lessen their load.
director, led the workshop. “Folks can begin by not planting
“If we are to do a good job of nonnative plants and replace invasive
restricting the movement of invasive and nonnatives already in the yard
species when the opportunities with native species,” Schmitz said.
arise, we will need to be vigilant and “We have to start somewhere, and
more fully understand the potential this is one instance where it really
impacts on native habitats and can begin in our own backyard.”
species,” Holder stated. The National Invasive Species
That’s a tall order for a state with Council 2008 management plan
a warm and moist climate, which states that, “Reducing the negative
will only be enhanced by the changes impacts of invasive species should
better enable natural ecosystems
Florida are following the suggested to withstand the threats of climate
practices of the U.S. Geological change.”
Survey by aggressively controlling If that’s the case, we are standing
some of the more-invasive invasives. steady on the balance beam in
The Old World climbing fern is an Florida – protecting one plant, one
invasive that can cover and smother species, one ecosystem at a time.
native species and act as a fire
ladder into native tree canopies Contact Patricia Behnke at
that normally wouldn’t burn during pat.behnke@MyFWC.com
Florida’s common ground fires. The