Failure of the Lacey Act to protect US ecosystems against animal invasions

Abstract

Harmful non-indigenous species may be introduced, either accidentally or intentionally, into the US through commerce, and may subsequently drive reductions in abundances of native species and changes in ecosystem function. The “injurious wildlife provision” of the Lacey Act (1900) is the primary legal tool protecting US non-agricultural ecosystems against the introduction and spread of invasive animal species. We evaluated the efficacy of this provision at disrupting the invasion processes involved in transport, introduction, establishment, and spread, and found that the wildlife provision prohibits importation of only 17 taxa. While the Lacey Act may have been somewhat effective at preventing transport into the country of the few taxa listed prior to their introduction, over half of listed taxa were already present in the US when listed, and most taxa already established in the wild continued to spread after listing. Currently, five taxa are being considered for listing. Mean time for a petitioned listin...