Ecological Risk Screening Summaries: Evaluate the risk of potential non-native species

Session: Invasive Species (1)

Heidi Himes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, [email protected]
Chris Castiglione, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, [email protected]
Mandi Ohar, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, [email protected]
Katherine Wyman-Grothem, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, [email protected]
Scott Sanders, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, [email protected]

Abstract

Assessing potential risk of invasive species can be a long and labor intensive process. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has developed a rapid screening protocol to serve as a first assessment of the risks posed by non-native species. Ecological Risk Screening Summaries (ERSS) can be completed in 1-2 days, compared to 1-2 years for a comprehensive risk assessment, and considers the species’ history of invasiveness, quantity and quality of information available, and results of a climate match. The outcome of the ERSS can be used to demonstrate the need for a comprehensive risk assessment. USFWS developed the companion Risk Assessment Mapping Program (RAMP) that matches 16 climate variables from the species’ established native and non-native range to the same variables for a target region in the United States. RAMP uses three future climate scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the years 2050 and 2070 to address the impact of climate change on the species’ potential future range. The species’ current climate requirements are matched to the projected future climate scenarios. The results of the ERSSs provide agencies a science based approach to better allocate limited resources for early detection, control, and education programs.