Roundtable for Nature Conservation in the Pacific

June 14 – 18, Suva, Fiji

Invasive Species Working Group (ISWG) Meeting

June 18, University of the South Pacific

MINUTES

Chair:

Liz Dovey, South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

Attendees:

Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)) / Souad Boudjelas /
Dave Butler /
NZ Department of Conservation / Greg Sherley /
Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) / Warea Orapa /
Sidney Suma /
Sada Lal /
Internat Fund for Agric Development (IFAD) / Teoh Suchin /
Palau – Office of Envir Response & Coordin / Joel Miles /
Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN) / Sunil Raj Prasad /
University of South Pacific(USP) / Craig Morley /
Clare Morrison /
USP and PYEN / Nunia Thomas /
Conservation International (CI) / Roger James /
The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii / Audrey Newman /
BirdLife International (BI) / Don Stewart /
Bishop Museum / Allen Allison /
Wetlands International / Aaron Jenkins /
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) / David Olson /
Linda Farley /
USGS PSA/PBIF / Mark Fornwall /
Fiji Dept of Environment / Manasa Sovaki /

Apologies: Lou Eldridge (Bishop Museum)

Marika Tuiwawa (USP Herbarium)

Scribe: D. Butler

Meeting Goals and Agenda (see Attachment A – page 9).

Item 1: Introduction (Liz)

Key aims of this working group is to monitor and assist with the implementation of the South Pacific Invasive Species (IS) Strategy and Action 1.3 of Action Plan. Group has been operating for two years. Main outcomes sought for day are:

·  a series of actions that individuals will take responsibility for

·  increased understanding of the work already going on in the region and strengthen links between these projects

·  identify gaps in action plan targets that are not being addressed and consider ways to address.

A draft charter and membership list was tabled (see Attachment B – page 11) along with draft actions proposed by members present at ISWG meetings earlier in the week. Following discussion, the following list of actions was confirmed:

Done

/

Who

/

Action

/

By when

Liz Dovey / Existing membership - chase original members to decide representation of their organisation / July 2004
Craig Morley / New members - Chase French connection / June 2004
Liz Dovey / Ask Warea Orapa for advice on how/who to best engage key national organisations like MAF / July 2004
Craig Morley / Chase PABITRA /Uni Hawaii rep / July 2004
Craig Morley / Chase up CSIRO connections / July 2004
Souad Boudjelas / Seek IRD (French research agency Noumea) representation / July 2004
Liz Dovey / Seek Fr Poly advice on French representation / July 2004
Liz Dovey / Establish email network of members / July 2004
Liz Dovey / Circulate electronic copy of charter / June 2004
Liz Dovey to coordinate discussion / Explore opportunities to meet between RT meetings and to hold phone conferences between meetings / July 2004
Greg Sherley / Develop a simple standard presentation on the working group that travelling CEOs could present to likely target organisations (5-10 slides, less than 10 minutes) / ?
Liz Dovey / Decision about possible development of a flyer about the ISWG to be deferred for a year / June 2005

Item 2: Review of Framework for Invasives work in the Pacific

Two key strategies guide the work of this group in the Pacific:

  1. Action Strategy for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands Region, 2003-07.
  2. South Pacific Regional Invasive Species Strategy

See the ISWG charter for the relevant targets of these strategies (Attachment B, page 11). Action plan target 1.3.6 and 1.3.7 on GMO’s is currently being addressed by the UNEP programme and thus will not need to be addressed by this group.

But there are also many more international and regional strategies of relevance:

Key conventions/global programmes:

  1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (Article 8h) – crosscutting issue, established Guiding Principles, Programme of Work for Island Conservation being drafted now (need to ensure that IS are well covered in this), Joel is a member of the technical group doing this work.
  2. Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP)
  3. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
  4. International Ballast Water Convention (a related PACPOL programme on marine invasives is under planning in SPREP – contact Sefa Newadra for details).
  5. Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) – home of the Cooperative Islands Initiative, which includes a Pacific Programme starting up in July 2004.

ACTION - Liz (SPREP) will review key strategies and look for commonalities – draft report by end Aug.

Other key programmes/guiding reports:

·  Austral-Pacific Regional Workshop 2002 held at Bishop Museum, Hawaii – report on GISP website http://www.gisp.org – one of the reports on a series of Regional Workshops done under the Global IS Strategy

·  SPC Biosecurity, Plant Protection and Animal Health Workshop 2004.

ACTION: Warea will make CD copies of report available to those who contact him.

·  Pacific Ant Prevention Plan (PAPP)

ACTION: Souad will make copies of report available to those who contact her.

·  National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans

ACTION: Liz will make summary of invasive parts of NBSAPs and circulate to ISWG

·  National Invasive Species Strategies/Plans

·  SPC Emergency Response Plans (national and regional) – available on SPC web-site (Contact: Warea)

·  Brown tree snake response plan and toolkit (Contact: Joel)

Item 3: Presentations on individual programmes

Some available on organisation websites or as CD or hard copy to those who request them – for others approach presenter:

3a: Key invasive species regional/ global initiatives underway directly relevant to the Pacific:

·  Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) – Greg Sherley, former CEO. See http://www.gisp.org for details of their products and projects

·  Pacific Invasive Species Management Project (PISM) – Liz Dovey - GEF-funded through UNDP to SPREP and partners in the Pacific – startup of phase 2 anticipated July 2004. Includes two key components – prevention (strengthening capacity to prevent spread) and restoration (of key biodiversity sites) http://www.sprep.org.ws/bird_inva/project_regional.htm

·  Cooperative Initiative on Invasive Alien Species on Islands (CII) – Souad Boudjelas http://www.issg.org/islandIAS.html#IslandIAS

·  Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) (CI-secured funding) – Roger James (Ecosystem profiling complete for Micronesia/Polynesia and to go before Board for approval – October. Invasive Species one of the key strategic recommendations. Focuses on hot spots, endangered species.) http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/

·  Pacific Ant Prevention Plan – Souad Boudjelas – original recommendation Austral-Pacific workshop – ISSG organised meeting Sept 2003 – aim is to prevent arrival of Red imported fire ant and others and to prevent establishment (early detection and response). Plan was taken to SPC Biosecurity meeting, supported, and funds being sought for a Coordinator to be based at SPC.

·  Plant Protection in the Pacific project – including weed management, EU funded to SPC, Warea Orapa

·  Pacific Islands Invasives Learning Network (PILN) – The Nature Conservancy & other partners – Audrey Newman (hand-out provided) (Also discussed Hawaii-based weed risk assessment project and a Clean Trade coalition to give IS a higher profile in world trade – Carnet Williams coordinator).

3b: Key single agency regional or national programmes

·  University of the South Pacific – Craig Morley – Three staff members interested in IAS. Aiming to increase inclusion of this issue in courses and students becoming practically involved – problems of finding out what they can do and where to get funding. Not one PhD in terrestrial biology yet. USP both keen to help and needs help to get more involved. Group members should always think of how to involve USP in their work.

·  Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Biosecurity & Trade – Sidney Suma

o  update and harmonisation of biosecurity legislation (Kiribati 2004, Cook Islands and Niue next)

o  emergency response plans for IS (to fit into national emergency response plans – that deal with cyclones, etc.)

o  contingency plans (e.g. cocoa wood borer – PNG)

o  border control and quarantine technical support – equipment – public awareness

o  input into regional trade agreements (Pacific Islands Trade Agreement, Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations)

o  awareness campaigns linked to major events in region e.g. South Pacific Games, Festival of Pacific Arts.

o  upgrade of manuals for quarantine officers over next few years

·  SPREP Regional Invasive Species Programme – Liz http://www.sprep.org.ws

o  SPREP training course – Preventing Invasives

o  Sponsoring Pacific Islanders to attend DOC plant or animal pest courses

o  MOU with DOC to provide technical expertise to PICTs

o  Regional meeting for invasives & bird conservation planned – some funds available, need co-sponsor

o  Assisting countries to establish national invasive teams

o  Assisting countries with specific projects

·  National programme – Palau - Joel

o  Planning & organisation – National Invasive Species Committee formed – developing a national strategy (using Bahamas strategy (obtainable at www.best.bs and Australian weeds strategies as guides)

o  Invasives weeds group – conducting community meetings – Mikania and Merremia, cogon grass, African tulip trees are key priorities

o  Awareness programmes

o  Increased quarantine for Arts Festival

o  Tilapia eradication using rotenone

o  Three regional keys –

§  SPC – Konrad Englberger

§  US Forest Service – Duane Nelson

§  SPREP & ISSG – training course

ACTION: Souad, Greg, Craig to fill in PILN questionnaire tabled by Audrey and fax to her – or e-mail to request electronic copy and return this.

ACTION: Souad to contact Carnet Williams at the Nature Conservancy, Hawaii to identify possible complementarities and overlaps between the work going on developing ‘Prevention’ manuals, and to ensure that the results of this discussion are communicated to Sidney at SPC.

ACTION: Liz will extract’ invasives’ sections from all NBSAPs and circulate within the group.

ACTION: ALL ATTENDEES to ensure Roundtable Inventory has updated material on existing or coming projects. Liz to e-mail everyone with details of how they can access the inventory.

ACTION: Identify e-mail networks available to those interested in IS management

ACTIONS: Sunil/ Nunia has identified PYEN’s contributions to the ISWG as:

1.  create/design posters and pamphlets on invasive species in Fiji (and the Pacific)

2.  Facilitate the dissemination of information on invasive species amongst youth groups (and schools and tertiary institutions)

3.  Participate in invasive species eradication programmes and create awareness for these to round up volunteers.

(No time frame provided).

Item 4: Review of Action Strategy Targets:

This working group has the choice of which action-targets it wishes to take on, and individuals only take on things in a voluntary capacity.

ACTION: Liz (SPREP) to establish a matrix of NBSAP actions against Action Strategy targets to identify gaps.

ACTION: Audrey to send Warea details of what is involved in being a partner in the design team for PILN. By end July.

Discussion structured around the five invasives targets in the Action Plan:

Target 1.3.1 Implement improved port quarantine regulations and practices on 70% of islands and PICTs

Activities happening:

o  SPC working with countries to upgrade manuals for quarantine officers over next few years and to develop improved enabling legislation.

o  SPREP training programme will lead to improvements in this area.

Gaps:

o  Measurement of progress/improvement– to be addressed later.

ACTION: Liz and Sidney to work out the best way of ensuring IS issues are taken into account in the development of national quarantine operation manuals and Biosecurity enabling legislation – by end June.

Target 1.3.2 Implement national awareness programmes of existing invasive species and threats in all PICTs

Activities happening:

o  Solomons planning a national conservation review at provincial level later in 2004.

o  SPC in five countries helping S Pacific Education Board to insert plant protection issues into school curricula

o  USP doing some work at tertiary level with WCS

ACTION: Roger will ensure that invasives are included in the agenda of the Solomon Islands nature conservation review

ACTION: Liz to consult with eligible countries to identify their requirements for awareness programmes for IS.

ACTION: Sidney to arrange for current draft of 7th form curricula to be sent to Liz for her input (by 20 June).

ACTION: Craig to investigate opportunities to bring invasive species issues into the school curricula in Fiji, and if practical the wider region (by end of 2004).

ACTION: Joel to put awareness campaign on the agenda of the next meeting of the National Invasive Species Committee to see if anyone wants to establish this.

ACTION: Investigate opportunities for UNESCO to assist with getting IS issues into children’s learning.

ACTION: Allen to send Craig and Joel the contact details for David Duffy who is working on the Cooperative Ecological Studies Unit.

Target 1.3.3 Implement pilot eradication and control pilot programs for selected priority species in at least 5 PICTs

Activities happening:

o  This is one of ISSG main objectives

o  SPC is undertaking several programmes

o  Cane toad work in Fiji (CI to look at funding eradication once feasibility results are considered)

o  Aleipata rat work in Samoa

o  ISSG has a register of completed projects

o  SPREP’s GEF project will identify pilot sites to work in.

ACTION: Craig and Greg to investigate whether a student could assemble a list of pilot projects - underway or planned.

ACTION: Don to contact Roger regarding a request from Russell Mittermeier of CI asking the CBC in Melanesia to identify a site where US$100-200K could be spent on an eradication to improve conservation status of any Red List species.

Target 1.3.4 Develop and implement marine and terrestrial invasive species management plans in at least 10 PICTs

The target given here is considered inappropriate/unclear. We can identify that a number of country’s are producing national IS strategies, weed management plans, individual species contingency plans, etc… We need to see what is in the NBSAP’s (again), what the countries actually want to do to determine a more appropriate target.

One gap will be in the freshwater area, e.g. certain fish still being promoted e.g. by FAO, SPC and some donors which can be highly damaging ecologically. Need more documentation of impacts of fish like Tilapia.