Invasive Species

Eight federal agencies on the Invasive Species Council--Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, State, Treasury, Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency--as well as the Smithsonian and the National Science Foundation spent $513.9 million fiscal year 1999 and $631.5 million in fiscal year 2000 to combat invasive species. The Department of Agriculture spent 89 percent of this money. Activities to prevent the introduction of invasive species received the largest percentage of funding--about 51 percent and 49 percent in fiscal years 1999 and 2000, respectively. Of the seven states surveyed--California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, and New York--Florida spent $94.5 million and $127.6 million in 1999 and 2000 and California spent $82.6 million and $87.2 million in 1999 and 2000. For both years, most funding went toward control of invasive species. The Invasive Species Council is in the final stages of staffing the organizational infrastructure, has drafted and is receiving comments on its management plan, has established an advisory committee and six working groups, and is in the process of developing a Web site. This report includes appendixes on GAO survey responses of 10 federal departments and seven states, including expenditures for invasive species activities.

GAO noted that: (1) the federal departments responding to GAO's survey reported obligating over half a billion dollars--$513.9 million and $631.5 million in FY 1999 and FY 2000, respectively--for activities related to invasive species; (2) the Department of Agriculture provided far and away the largest percentage of these funds, 89 percent ($459 million) in FY 1999 and 88 percent ($556.4 million) in FY 2000; (3) the eight other federal departments that reported funding information provided between 0.2 percent and about 5 percent of the federal funding directed toward invasive species over the 2 years; (4) activities to prevent the introduction of invasive species received the greatest percentage of federal funding--about 51 percent and 49 percent in FY 1999 and FY 2000, respectively; (5) most federal departments rated coordination with state governments as either "good" or "fair"; (6) the seven states GAO surveyed reported spending between $1.6 million and $94.5 million in FY 1999 (for a total of $195.3 million) and between $1.8 million and $127.6 million in FY 2000 (for a total of $232.6 million) on invasive species activities; (7) in both years, Florida spent the greatest amount of funds, $94.5 million and $127.6 million, followed by California, $82.6 million and $87.2 million; (8) most of the seven states directed the largest percentage of their funding in both years toward activities to control invasive species; (9) most of the seven states rated coordination with federal departments as "good"; (10) the Invasive Species Council has been slow in getting off the ground, although it has initiated several actions to implement Executive Order 13112; (11) as of August 18, 2000, 18 months after the executive order was issued, the Council had filled two of its four permanent staff positions and had nearly completed filling the remaining two positions--when it does, it will have an organizational infrastructure to oversee implementation; (12) the Council has also drafted and is receiving comments on its National Invasive Species Management Plan, which is expected to be issued later in the year--several months after the date stipulated in the executive order; (13) in addition, it has established an advisory committee and six working groups that have provided information and advice to the Council; and (14) further, it is in the process of developing a Web site to provide a broad range of information on invasive species and is sponsoring workshops to promote information sharing.