| Abstract: | This paper describes the Exotic Pest Information Collection and Analysis (EPICA) project, a cooperative effort of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) and the National Science Foundation's Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM). The EPICA team identifies, archives, evaluates, and communicates relevant information about exotic plant pests from around the world that potentially threaten US agriculture and the environment. The goal of the EPICA project is to provide key groups within USDA's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) with regular updates of vital pest information to enable a proactive safeguarding approach. |
