Why don we want the tamarisk leaf beetle in arizona?
• Tamarisk is a primary woody riparian tree species found along the Colorado and central Arizona rivers. The spread and proliferation of tamarisk in Arizona is primarily due to land management practices that create conditions where native riparian trees are unable to thrive or persist. These practices include dam operations that alter the natural hydrograph, water diversion, and channelization or levee construction that prevents overbank flooding. Although an exotic species, tamarisk provides migration and nesting habitat for the southwestern will flycatcher and other migratory birds as well as habitat for other terrestrial wildlife. Therefore, should existing riparian habitat dominated by tamarisk be removed or degraded by the beetle, and given that replacement of the native riparian community under the existing limitations from land management decision would be virtually impossible to achieve, the loss of extant tamarisk habitat is a significant loss of habitat for wildlife. • Tamari
