This is a general term for alien, invasive, non-native, or nuisance species. These species are not generally the subject of restoration projects; rather, the intent is to do no harm, i.e., prevent, limit, or reduce their occurrence. It may also be that by reducing their occurrence, other restoration objectives can be achieved, e.g., giant cane in California and Brazilian pepper in Florida.
Executive Order 13112 uses the following definitions:
· "Alien species" means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species, including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem.
· "Invasive species" means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
· "Native species" means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, a species that, other than as a result of an introduction, historically occurred or currently occurs in that ecosystem.
A Web site of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://invasives.fws.gov/ contains an enormous amount of information and useful links. Contact Mike Grodowitz in the ERDC Environmental Laboratory at Michael.J.Grodowitz@erdc.usace.army.mil for information on software systems.
Another category of noxious species is "nuisance species," which includes species such as Canada geese, white-tailed deer, and raccoons who have invaded human’s green spaces, roadways, and yards. Plant species such as the common reed (Phragmites australis) have altered the species composition of many wetland areas and have been implicated in limiting fish access to interiors by raising the elevation and smoothing the topography (Weinstein and Balletto 1999). Species such as these may be considered significant resources from the perspective of planning projects to avoid increasing their nuisance value or to allow needed management and control.