2-24 NWR  Invasive species

2-24 NWR Invasive species

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
This is your Northwest report for Friday, February 24, I'm David Sparks and accomplishments, challenges, and the long-term vision for a diverse yet unified Oregon State Department of Agriculture were all part of a presentation given recently to the State Board of Agriculture. A common theme to the Idaho, Oregon and Washington State Departments of Agriculture was delivered by Helmuth Rogg, Director of Plant Protection and Conservation. He says accomplishments in dealing with invasive species issues are often traced back to gaining support through collaboration: "We've built over the last year or two, a very strong alliance with grassroots partners, with federal partners, local, county, community– which are very important  for us, these partnerships, to get our job done."

The U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization is warning that mankind's future ability to feed itself is in jeopardy due to intensifying pressures on natural resources, mounting inequality, and the fallout from a changing climate...the latter of which we all here in the Northwest seem to have experienced this winter.

A new FAO report – "The Future of Food and Agriculture: Trends and Challenges" – notes that although significant progress in reducing global hunger has been achieved over the past 30 years, "expanding food production and economic growth have often come at a heavy cost to the natural environment.

"Almost one half of the forests that once covered the Earth are now gone. Groundwater sources are being depleted rapidly.

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