Search the SPREP Catalogue

The Early Detection and Rapid Response Protocols for Ants provide the technical information needed to conduct EDRR and are structured based on the EDRR checklist: PRIORITSE, PREPARE, DETECT, RESPOND. The resource is intended to help fulfil the requirements of an EDRR checklist.

Niue's Minsiter of Natural Resources, Mona Ainuu pledges to work with SPREP and PRISMSS to recognize and scale up the management of invasive species.

Promotional Animation on the negative impacts of Invasive Species, destroying the resilience of island ecosystems. But support for Pacific Island countries to remove them can help strengthen the climate resilience, increase vital seabird populations to recover and their guano can strengthen coral reefs.

We have prepared this report following a call for information about the herbicide glyphosate, issued by the EPA between April and October 2021. This call for information was carried out in recognition of the many concerns that surround glyphosate, whether they be concerns about its possible impact on human health and the environment or concerns about the effects of glyphosate being unavailable on agriculture and the larger economy. The use of glyphosate is a divisive topic, and unsurprisingly, we received a wide range of comments around glyphosate use in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This desktop study is focused on presenting known and available baseline data on alien and invasive species and key biodiversity of Pitcairn which will inform stakeholders during the development of the Territorial Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (TISSAP). It delivers annotated inventories of (i) invasive alien species by island, invasiveness and habitat including risk assessment ranking; (ii) key endemic and threatened species at island and site level; (iii) designated natural areas and ecosystems with notes on threat/pressures on these areas; (iv) An annotated inventory of at-risk invasive species in neighboring countries with pathways of introduction and dispersal and (v) invasive species prevention, management/control related projects undertaken on Pitcairn and on-going initiatives.

The Ua Pou islets Pacific rat eradication operation was undertaken in August-September 2023. It attempted a global first of aerially broadcasting rodent bait by drone from a small ship in open sea across the islets of Motu Tākaè, Motu Oa, and Motu Mokohe, at Ua Pou in the Marquesas Islands. The aerial bait application resulted in only two of the three islands having bait successfully applied across their entirety, nonetheless, monitoring 12 months later has confirmed Motu Oa and Motu Tākaè are rat free as is the partially isolated section of Motu Mokohe that was also baited. The eradication success is supported by the establishment of biosecurity knowledge and practices throughout the Ua Pou communities. The results of the seabird and other environmental monitoring will help sustain a commitment over time, as well as benefiting the wider conservation community. The operation demonstrated that drones could be operated off a boat for rodent eradication purposes but was constrained by the consistently strong winds and swell conditions. A larger vessel with a deeper draught is recommended for similar operations in the future and would likely increase the number of flyable days and improve the ease with which take-offs and landings are undertaken by the drone pilots.

PRISMSS Newsletter provides updates on the Invasive Species Management work currently being done.

The Pacific Island nations of Niue and Tonga are leading global efforts to expand the management of invasive species at a large-landscape scale and increase the resilience of their ecosystems and communities to the impacts of climate change. Niue’s Environment Minister, Hon. Mona Ainuu, recently made an ambitious pledge for the country to control four priority invasive species by 2030, including Taro Vine, rats, feral pigs, and the coral eating Drupella snail. This work will help to enhance Niue’s premium ecotourism brand and directly support the provision of green jobs. Tonga has also pledged to expand the management of priority invasive species at a large-landscape scale following the successful eradication of rats from Late Island, the largest eradication ever undertaken in the Pacific Islands region. Studies have shown that, once rats are removed, the nutrients from returning seabird populations restore the climate resilience of coral reefs and increase the productivity of fish stocks by up to 50%. Tonga’s plans to scale-up the management of priority invasive species will help expand its national park system, provide refugia for 95% of the country’s biodiversity, and directly increase the climate resilience of its ecosystems and communities.

Te Papa Atawhai (DocNZ) acknowledges their shoulder in supporting Pacific communities through PRISMSS as partners.

This webinar provided an overview on the PRISMSS five regional programmes, and introduced the Resilient Ecosystems Resilient Communities approach - priority area and ecological restoration,. In this session, David Moverley, technical lead for PRISMSS RERC programme talks about the processes involved in restoring ecosystems and their services at high valued ecological sites, as well as managing multiple types of invasive species. The webinar was an introductory session for the Pacific Island Forest Restoration Initiative (PIFRI)