1. INTRODUCTION 
1.1. ORGANIZATION OF REPORT 
This report focuses on states’ research and management needs. The goal is to enable 
states to perform effective prevention, control, and eradication of aquatic invasive species (AIS) 
in a changing climate. Although numerous federal and international efforts are relevant to—and 
are affected by—the concepts and recommendations discussed throughout the report, this report 
focuses on state-level programs, plans, and activities because they play a significant role in on- 
the-ground invasive-species prevention and management (ELI, 2002). Furthermore, states are 
likely to play an important role in driving national policy on both invasive-species and climate- 
change issues in the years to come. 
This report examines how climate change affects AIS using published information; 
reviews state AIS plans and activities for existing capacity to incorporate climate-change 
considerations into management tasks and strategies; discusses implications for resource 
management, including informational and data needs; and recommends further research 
directions based on this discussion. It is divided into four sections and five appendices. Section 
1 presents the definition of global change and the United States Environmental Protection 
Agency’s (U.S. EPA) approach to addressing global change; briefly describes current climate- 
change projections and the potential effects that future climate will have on ecosystems; 
describes the impacts that invasive species are having on the environment; and summarizes some 
of the existing knowledge about how climate change affects invasive-species introduction, 
establishment, and spread. 
Many states’ AIS management activities and planned action items, as they are currently 
structured and outlined in management plans, do not account for the projected effects of climate 
change as there is no legal mandate to do so. State agencies also have limited financial resources 
and staff time to dedicate to AIS management activities. The disconnect between invasive- 
species management and potential climate-change effects may undermine efforts to achieve 
stated ecosystem goals under changing conditions. It should be noted that, for the purposes of 
this report, any modifications to management activities, plans, or programs because of climate- 
change considerations is termed adaptation. Adapting AIS management plans and practices will 
allow states to better prevent and control AIS invasions under changing conditions and will 
additionally maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of each state dollar spent on such 
activities. 
In Section 2 we discuss how AIS management may be affected by changes in climate and 
make suggestions for modifying leadership and coordination activities, prevention strategies, 
control efforts, and restoration to incorporate climate-change information. We give examples of 
1-1 
