Incoming! Every year, the gypsy moth, zebra mussel, and other invaders do more than $130 billion in damage to U.S. agriculture, forests, rangelands, and fisheries. Worldwide, that figure soars past $1 trillion. "Part of the problem," says University of Tennessee ecology professor Daniel Simberloff, who will give a keynote address in Fuzhou, "is that, at most meetings, people tend to focus on what [the invaders] are doing, not how we can deal with them." Case in point: While much ado has been made about New York grappling with Asian long-horned beetles, which have been devouring trees since 1996, Chicago -- which was infested two years later -- has wholly eradicated the bugs by rigorously monitoring the spread and quarantining wood from infected areas. At this first-ever congress, Simberloff plans to share similar success stories in an attempt to shift the focus. "There's no silver bullet," he says, "but there are possible solutions." -- DAN MACSAI

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 02
Exterminate
International Congress on Biological Invasions

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