South Carolina: Invasive Species

Invasive Species: A Quick Look
South Carolina has been invaded by a number of harmful exotic plants and animals. Click here to view a fact sheet listing some of the worst current and potential invaders.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources sponsors an Aquatic Nuisance Species Program. Click here to read the 2004 Draft Aquatic Plant Management Plan.

Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry offers a Designated Plant Pest List on their website. Also features a brief list of other invasive species, including the Africanized Honey Bee and the Asian Longhorn Beetle.

View the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council, which includes links to chapters in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

View the USGS's National Zebra Mussel Home Page for most recent sightings of this vigorous aquatic invasive.

View federal and state invasive species activities for South Carolina from Invasivespecies.gov.

Click here for more information on invasive species in South Carolina. This link will take you to the Environmental Law Institute's state by state search tool. Select your state from the pull-down menu.

Halting the Invasion: State Tools for Invasive Species Management

In August 2002, the Environmental Law Institute released it’s report, Halting the Invasion: State Tools for Invasive Species Management. The report analyzes the legal tools available at the state level to combat invasive species. Only those laws and policies approved through state legislation or agency rulemaking were addressed. The report highlights 17 invasive species tools found in state statutes and regulations. These tools are divided into five main categories: prevention, regulation, control and management, enforcement and implementation, and coordination. The report recommends that states evaluate which of three standards (gold, silver, or bronze) their invasive species laws and regulations currently meet.

The appendix presents the state-specific data that was collected and analyzed for the report. The information contained in this appendix was obtained primarily through research on state statutes and regulations conducted from February 2001 through February 2002. For each state, the statutes and regulations affecting five general categories of invasive species were examined. These categories are invasive wildlife; invasive aquatic species; invasive plants; plant pests and diseases, including pathogens and microorganisms; and insects. (Excerpted from the Environmental Law Institute's website. Click here to view.)

For specific information on invasive species, click here for the State Appendix. This link will take you to the Environmental Law Institute's state by state search tool.

Click here to download or order a copy of the report from ELI's website.

If you know of current information, please email us at kkelly@defenders.org. To learn more about this state, see the other categories to the right.