Minnesota
Futures and IGERT Symposium:
Predicting Invasive Potential of
Exotic Species
March 3-5, 2008
Invasive exotic species (foreign species established in the US) cause
significant economic ($138 billion annually) costs and ecological impacts.
Several national laws and international treaties were developed by the
World Trade Organization, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and
the US Plant Pest Act that require identification of management risks
for exotic species. These protocols focus on monitoring and interception
at ports of entry. However, management tools are constrained by the inability
to predict invasive potential. The overall goal in the 2008 Minnesota
Futures Project is to build interdisciplinary collaborations to develop
models that predict invasion risk and to assemble empirical data to test
these models.
The specific objectives of the symposium were to:
• Discuss the impact of exotic species with stakeholders and identify
research in Minnesota
• Enhance the public dialogue in Minnesota on risks to economy and
environment
• Build and strengthen research collaborations to improve prediction
of invasive potential
• Initiate international collaborations with Minnesota faculty to
solve these issues
The general public was encouraged to attend Day
1: Breadth and Significance of Invasion Biology on March 3rd. On March
4-5, Assessing and Managing Spread and
Impacts of Invasive Organisms, the activites were aimed at researchers
on the topics related to invasive species.
Organizing Committee
Sponsoring organizations:
Minnesota
Futures Project
NSF-IGERT
College of Food, Agricultural
and Natural Resource Sciences
College of Biological
Sciences
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Yellow
sweetclover 
Emerald
ash borer
Common carp