WHY DOES THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE USE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to pest management that employs physical, mechanical, cultural, biological and educational tactics to keep pest numbers low enough to prevent intolerable damage or annoyance. In an IPM program, the least toxic, effective management options are utilized. This approach to the management of pests fits perfectly with the National Park Service s mandate to protect all of the resources within the parks it manages. The principles of IPM also fit nicely within the NPS s goal to decrease the amount of risk, where possible, visitors and employees are exposed to while spending time in a park. IPM looks at the biology of a pest and attempts to manage it at the weakest point in its life cycle.
