Ch. 9— Maintaining Biological Diversity in the United States • 245 



Likewise, limited numbers of cloven-footed ani- 

 mals can be imported with heavy restrictions 

 from areas known to harbor foot-and-mouth dis- 

 ease (41). For most materials, some degree of 

 restriction is required and the plants or animals 

 must enter through a designated port of entry 

 for inspection. Most plants, for example, must 

 enter the United States through one of 14 

 APHIS Plant Inspection Stations, where they 

 are inspected, treated if necessary, and released 

 within 1 to 3 days (35). 



Some materials enter under conditions of 

 post-entry quarantine, whereby they are in- 

 spected at an appropriate facility and released 

 to the importer under an agreement that regu- 

 lates their maintenance and release. Such agree- 

 ments exist for some zoo animals, including 

 most ungulates. Animals subject to post-entry 

 quarantine are permanently consigned to the 

 designated facilities, and only their offspring 

 can be distributed or moved to other institu- 

 tions. Plant materials are generally exempt from 

 restriction if no pests or diseases are detected 

 during the normal detention period of 2 years 

 (35). 



Importation of wild animal species posing 

 threats to agricultural livestock can be lengthy. 



expensive, and difficult. For example, most bird 

 species are very difficult to import due to 

 APHIS concerns over the introduction of New- 

 castle's disease, a serious threat to domestic 

 poultry stocks. 



State programs regulating movement of plants 

 and animals vary and are most stringent for 

 States with economies based heavily on agri- 

 cultural crops (e.g., California and Florida). Ef- 

 forts to prevent the spread of pests and diseases 

 can include restrictions on the carrying of fruits 

 and vegetables into a State or requirements for 

 treatment of potentially infected materials be- 

 fore entry. For importation of germplasm from 

 outside the country. States cannot place restric- 

 tions on materials that are greater than those 

 imposed by the Federal Government (35). 



Biological diversity maintenance has not been 

 a concern in the establishment of quarantine 

 regulations. Although such regulations and pro- 

 cedures can be important to protecting agri- 

 cultural diversity, they also, paradoxically, in- 

 hibit the development of new varieties by 

 restricting or slowing the flow of new materi- 

 als into the country. 



NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES 



A variety of activities in the United States ad- 

 dress the maintenance of some aspect of bio- 

 logical diversity. These efforts are carried out 

 by both government and the private sector. Ben- 

 efits from maintaining diversity, such as im- 

 provements in agriculture and the ecological 

 processes that support life, accrue to all indi- 

 viduals though they seldom pay for them. The 

 public nature of these benefits makes it the 

 major responsibility of the public sector to 

 maintain. 



Private sector activities, nonetheless, comple- 

 ment government efforts in important ways. 

 Activities of some groups and individuals may 

 back up national programs. In other cases, pri- 

 vate activities maintain diversity in ways that 



the public sector does not, cannot, or will not. 

 A number of private groups supplement the Na- 

 tional Plant Germplasm System by maintaining 

 heirloom and endangered commercial varieties 

 of vegetables, for example, including many that 

 are not contained in existing national collec- 

 tions. Private crop breeders have been influen- 

 tial in elevating the issue of genetic diversity 

 loss to a national concern and have been pro- 

 viding increasing input in public germplasm 

 maintenance activities. To date, these private 

 activities have received little recognition, and 

 minimal effort has been made to encourage and 

 support private initiatives. Increased coopera- 

 tion between public and private efforts could 

 not only strengthen the latter but also improve 

 maintenance of diversity. 



