Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Industry Preferences for Solutions to the Sale and Use of Invasive Plants

Gagliardi, James A.; Brand, Mark H.

doi:10.21273/horttech.17.1.39

Cited by 37 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In general, our results are in line with the findings of other authors, who reported horticulturists' expressed willingness to participate in risk mitigation processes, e.g., in a voluntary code of conduct [19], [23], [24], [49], [50]. In a study among horticulturists in the U.S., Burt et al [22] found environmental concern, the cultivation of the reputation of an environmentally responsible business, and customer demand among the most influential incentives to engage in risk mitigation behavior.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Are Non-Native Plants Perceived to Be More Risky? Factors Influencing Horticulturists' Risk Perceptions of Ornamental Plant Species

2014

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Horticultural trade is recognized as an important vector in promoting the introduction and dispersal of harmful non-native plant species. Understanding horticulturists' perceptions of biotic invasions is therefore important for effective species risk management. We conducted a large-scale survey among horticulturists in Switzerland (N = 625) to reveal horticulturists' risk and benefit perceptions from ornamental plant species, their attitudes towards the regulation of non-native species, as well as the factors decisive for environmental risk perceptions and horticulturists' willingness to engage in risk mitigation behavior. Our results suggest that perceived familiarity with a plant species had a mitigating effect on risk perceptions, while perceptions of risk increased if a species was perceived to be non-native. However, perceptions of the non-native origin of ornamental plant species were often not congruent with scientific classifications. Horticulturists displayed positive attitudes towards mandatory trade regulations, particularly towards those targeted against known invasive species. Participants also expressed their willingness to engage in risk mitigation behavior. Yet, positive effects of risk perceptions on the willingness to engage in risk mitigation behavior were counteracted by perceptions of benefits from selling non-native ornamental species. Our results indicate that the prevalent practice in risk communication to emphasize the non-native origin of invasive species can be ineffective, especially in the case of species of high importance to local industries and people. This is because familiarity with these plants can reduce risk perceptions and be in conflict with scientific concepts of non-nativeness. In these cases, it might be more effective to focus communication on well-documented environmental impacts of harmful species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Are Non-Native Plants Perceived to Be More Risky? Factors Influencing Horticulturists' Risk Perceptions of Ornamental Plant Species

2014

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“…4;Butterfield 1981Butterfield , 1987Butterfield , 1992Butterfield , 1996Butterfield , 2002Butterfield , 2008. This increasing consumer demand, along with interest in novel and exotic plants, drives the horticultural industry (Gagliardi and Brand 2007).…”

Section: The Increasing Importance Of the Horticultural Industry Pathwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With a growing willingness to assume responsibility and avoid more intrusive legislative regulation, the industry has made cooperative efforts with other agencies to develop and adopt a set of Voluntary Codes of Conduct for Nursery Professionals (''Codes''; Baskin 2002, Gagliardi andBrand 2007).…”

Section: Legislated and Voluntary Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several years after a coalition of the Florida horticultural industry implemented regulations much like the Codes, a majority of Florida's listed invasive species were openly sold (Burt et al 2007). There are other documented cases where state invasive plant lists are disregarded (Gagliardi and Brand 2007) and legislated invasive plant prohibitions are violated (Anderson 2006, Maki andGalatowitsch 2004). Years after ratification, many nurseries are not aware of the Codes (Burt et al 2007).…”

Section: Legislated and Voluntary Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is not surprising because of the diverse and decentralized nature of the many types of firms in the industry, each with their own sources for information. Deterrents that undermine voluntary efforts that firms cite are: the lack of refinement for invasive species definition, lack of accommodation for regional differences or non invasive forms, minimal scientific documentation of invasive taxa, confusion between invasive and native plants, fear of economic disruption, losing the new potential ''big winner'' cultivars or losing their high volume and value ''bread and butter'' crops (Gagliardi andBrand 2007, Hall 2000). These latter reasons give evidence of the moral hazard inherent in voluntary industry self regulation.…”

Section: Legislated and Voluntary Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Conundrums of a complex vector for invasive species control: a detailed examination of the horticultural industry

2010

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Historically the horticultural industry has transformed the US landscape through intentional cultivar introductions and unintentional introductions of weeds, insects and plant diseases. While it has been demonstrated that the horticultural industry, in particular the ornamental subsector, is an important vector for the introduction and dispersal of invasive species, known invasive plants continue to be sold while new cultivars are introduced at an ever increasing rate. This study examines the horticultural trade as a vector for invasive species, its agents, and characterizes the complexity of the distribution channel. Numerous factors have contributed to the recent expansion in marketed cultivars, including technological, industry growth, and marketing developments. The result has been an increased and sophisticated consumer demand with a corresponding aggressive scouring of the planet for new crops, many of which are introduced into the market without sufficient testing for invasive tendencies. Traditional approaches to invasive horticultural crop control (regulation, self-regulation), which target players in the distribution channel before and/or after cultivar release, have had limited effectiveness and buy-in because these approaches do not address the industry's complexities and economic incentives. Involvement and education of consumers may provide better oversight outcomes by addressing the moral hazard problem while acknowledging the key characteristics of the industry.

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Iconic but Invasive: The Public Perception of the Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) in Switzerland

Tonellotto

Fehr

Conedera

et al. 2022

Environmental Management

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Biological invasions strongly increased during the last centuries and are challenging environmental managers worldwide. In this context, public acceptance of management measures is a key factor determining the long-term success of the control of invasive species. However, in the case of charismatic and iconic invasive species, the public has often been unwilling to accept strict management measures. Here, we studied the public perception of the Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) in Switzerland, which is declared as invasive in southern Switzerland but also recognized as iconic. We conducted a nation-wide online survey in the multilingual and multicultural context of Switzerland, investigating the influence of social and cultural factors on the knowledge of, the attitude toward, and the willingness to control the invasive T. fortunei. Results confirm that the knowledge and perception of invasive plants have a strong social and cultural component and may vary greatly as a function of the cultural background, education level, age, and other social characteristics. Furthermore, information on the invasiveness of the focal species provided during the survey significantly affected informants’ perceptions, which are closely related to the acceptance of possible management and control measures. This allows us to highlight the importance of a holistic approach that includes targeted public information when dealing with biological invasions, especially in the case of charismatic and iconic species. Based on the obtained results, we suggest avenues for refining management and control strategies of T. fortunei in Switzerland, many of which generally applicable to other cases of invasive species.

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Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Industry Preferences for Solutions to the Sale and Use of Invasive Plants

Cited by 37 publications

References 16 publications

Are Non-Native Plants Perceived to Be More Risky? Factors Influencing Horticulturists' Risk Perceptions of Ornamental Plant Species

Are Non-Native Plants Perceived to Be More Risky? Factors Influencing Horticulturists' Risk Perceptions of Ornamental Plant Species

Conundrums of a complex vector for invasive species control: a detailed examination of the horticultural industry

Iconic but Invasive: The Public Perception of the Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) in Switzerland

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