Developing and supporting a national biological control programme

Several reports have identified elements that must be in place for a national biological control program to be successful, including broad agreement on its goals; identification of the customers, stakeholders and beneficiaries of the program; a thorough understanding of previously identified needs, issues and challenges in biological control that can be addressed by a national program; relationships to local, state, other national and international programs; political support and funding; and organizational placement. Unless the conditions for success of a national program are understood, established and nourished, a program can only be partially successful. The USDA National Biological Control Institute is discussed as an example of a partially successful attempt at developing a national biological control program.