1 May 2012
SPREP Hosts Invasive Species Meeting in Kiribati
story highlights

Representatives from 19 Pacific island countries participated in a Pacific Islands Learning Network (PILN) meeting in Kiribati, hosted by SPREP to discuss the management and control of invasive alien species.

27 March 2012: Management and control of invasive alien species in the Pacific Islands region was discussed at the Third Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN) meeting, facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) on Kiritimati Island, Kiribati, from 22-27 March 2012. Kirimati Island is the biggest nesting and breeding ground of Pacific seabirds, and one of the main port entries to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA).


Participants from 19 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) discussed, inter alia: mainstreaming and integrating invasive species management into national development plans; sourcing funds and fundraising; biosecurity; engaging stakeholders; regional collaboration and capacity building; and effective coordination of national invasive species teams.

PICTs include: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

The meeting was funded by the Fonds Pacifique, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund administered by Conservation International, SPREP, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Government of Kiribati. It was supported by the Pacific Invasives Partnership, a working group of the Pacific Roundtable for Nature Conservation. [SPREP Press Release] [SPREP Meeting Report]