NEWS RELEASES
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through BBC News's website.
Invasive animal species are threatening more than half of the national parks in the United States, according to a new report. The report is the result of a three-year effort by a panel of experts, established by the National Park Service in 2016. The National Park Service has had a program in place for invasive plants, but invasive animals have not received the same attention. Kelsey Vlamis of BBC News, relays in her article "A survey identified 1,409 populations of invasive animals made up of 331 species across the parks. Of those invasive populations, only 23% have management plans and only 11% are under control." The populations can be found across different ecosystems, and can damage natural ecosystems, cause a loss of park wildlife, hurt visitor experiences and be expensive to control. There are more than 400 national parks that span more than 85 million acres, and can be found in all 50 states.To read more, click here.