If not controlled, can be devastating

Asterio Takesy
Pacific biodiversity is more than just trees and flowers in our garden and the birds we hear, it is the foundation for our way of life in the islands.  Our culture, traditions, economy, diet, health and living standards revolve around Pacific biodiversity, which helps contribute to the individuality of the Pacific Islands. 

Our Pacific is biologically unique. We have high numbers of species that are endemic, which means they are found nowhere else in the world but the Pacific, and often restricted to only one or a few Pacific islands. In all, we are home to more than 400 endemic bird species; a full 30% of our native plant species are endemic. 

This unique biodiversity is deeply ingrained in a Pacific identity for which we can be proud of, but we also need to nurture and take very good care of it

The Pacific contains a quarter of the world’s threatened bird species and continues to lose many of these species at an alarming rate.  According to BirdLife International, the world authority on bird conservation, 63 of the 129 bird extinctions recorded from around the world since 1500 occurred in the Pacific. That is half of all the world’s recent bird extinctions have happened in our region.

Worse still, 289 of the endemic birds in the Pacific are classified as endangered. Of these, 37 are critically endangered, which means they are in imminent danger of extinction.

If the Pacific is to enjoy a way of life that has been inherited from our forefathers, it is time we draw our attention to our surroundings.  We need to take our biodiversity seriously and take a long hard look at what we can do to protect it.

One of the major threats to our biodiversity is “invasive species”, which are often called pests and weeds. These are plants, animals and other organisms taken beyond their natural range by people, deliberately or unintentionally, and which become destructive to the environment or human interests. Besides the damage they cause to the environment, many have enormous impacts on national economies, on human livelihoods and health.

A well-known example is the brown tree snake, which was accidentally introduced to Guam in the 1940s. It has since caused enormous ecological devastation that includes the extinction of nine of the eleven original native bird species in Guam.

It is estimated that there are 80 million brown tree snakes now in Guam. They cause power outages just about every five days damaging electrical infrastructure with the resulting research and control costs totalling over US$5 million a year.

A decade ago the taro leaf blight wreaked havoc on taro production, the mainstay of the Samoan economy and diet. It is estimated to have cost Samoa about US$40 million to replace domestic consumption, lost exports and the cost of measures to control the disease.

It is evident that invasive species have devastating impacts upon our Pacific people and way of life. Invasive species need to be taken more seriously at all levels, from Government and international policy-makers, especially finance ministers, and by businesses and families in the Pacific. 

SPREP is one of the eleven partners to the Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN), which completes its two-year pilot phase this month. PILN works with 14 multi-agency multi-sector country teams in the Pacific islands countries and territories. 

The PILN teams identify their invasive species issues and are supported by the PILN coordinator Dr Jill Key, who helps them in building capacity and learning from each other to implement a range of different invasive species projects that have worked elsewhere in the Pacific.

One major aspect of PILN is that the country teams themselves drive the network and decide the priorities for action. Teams are strongly committed to managing the invasive species in their country and this enthusiasm is encouraged and supported by Dr Key.

Funding is now being sought to launch PILN throughout the Pacific region to serve all 22 countries, states and territories. 

SPREP hosts the PILN office in Apia, Samoa.  The work of PILN complements the work SPREP does to help its member countries and territories progress initiatives that help raise awareness and support for pest, weed and disease management in the Pacific.

Regardless of where we live, invasive species can impact us all.  Invasive species are, more often than not, highly adaptable. They can live in a wide range of environments, breed fast and spread quickly. Even if one location is not immediately threatened today, this can change quickly.

We at SPREP are working towards helping the Pacific region with this serious issue of invasive species, leading the development of regional Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific. We are assisting our member countries and territories in developing large-scale funding proposals, such as to the Global Environment Facility (GEF). SPREP provides technical support to all member countries and territories with our Invasive Species Officer, Dr Alan Tye. 

We have also helped Pacific nations develop common positions for international negotiations on invasive species such as those for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 9th Conference of the Parties, which is scheduled this month in Bonn, Germany.

With all the work that is being done in the Pacific to address invasive species, it is sadly not enough. We can all do something to help stop invasive species. When we travel it is critical we declare all biological and natural goods. If we work in policy formulation positions in our countries, we need to start addressing invasive species with a higher degree of urgency.

Let’s all work together to protect and maintain what belongs to all of us. Our heritage, culture and livelihoods are entwined in our Pacific biodiversity. We can’t afford to lose more.

Asterio Takesy is the director of SPREP. He is based in Apia, Samoa.