NUMBER 9 7 1999

(GISP) The Global Invasive Programme: Toolkit for Early Warning and Management

The Global Invasive SpeciesProgramme (GISP) [SeeAliens 7], in which IUCN is a partner, held a workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 22 -27 March 1999. This meeting, which was funded primarily by the Global Environment -Facility, was a collaborative effort by two sections of GISP: the Management section (chaired by Jeff Waage of CABI Bioscience) and the Early'Waming Systems section (chaired by Mick Clout). The meeting had 29 participants (including several ISSG members), from 13 countries. .

Our two sections of GISP decided last year that we wo~ld cooperate closely in preparing tools to help developing countries (especially small island develop- ing states) to deal with the threats to their biodiversity which are posed by invasive species.The Kuala Lumpur workshop therefore had as its major aim the drafting of toolkit for early warning and management of invasive species problems in such developing countries.

In order to do this, participants first presented the particular problems faced by their home countries, such as poor telecommunications infrastructures, or lack of awaren~ss of the invasive species problem. They then discussed what the "toolkit" might consist of; or which is the best way to reverse the increasing numbers of invasions experienced.

Early warning of incipient invasions can only be achieved if people are aware of both the po~ential extent of damage, and the likelihood that it will occur. Management (not merely to prevent single species invasions, but also to re- store entire systems) will probably only be effective, firstly if early warning systems evolve and people use them, and secondly ifcontingency plans for rapid response to new invasions are designed and set in motion. Much of the Sponsored by: discussion centred a(oundmaking the document P~CTICAL and REALIS- TIC.

Consensus was reached on the fonnat and content of the toolkit, which will include a manual on prevention and management of invasive species and a supporting international database on their characteristics. Both could be tai- 1ored to meet regional needs. By the end of the meeting the fIrst draft of a generic manual had been completed and there was endorsement of the design for an international invasive species database.The pilot version of this (being prepared by Sarah Lowe and Philip Thomas of ISSG) will be the databaseof Manaaki Whenua the World's 100 Worsflnvasive Species, supported by the TOTAL Foundation. Landcare Research

Mick Clout (ISSG Chair) and Sarah Lowe (ISSG) ISSN: 1173-5988

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The dramatic and rapid loss of native the hordes of brighrred land crabs that Island, with disastrous consequences. biodiversity follo",:ing the march to the seaeach year, rain forest Also known as the long-Iegged , introduction of the brown tree snake on the island ha's remained Anoplolepis is a well-known "tramp" to Guani, Miconia calvescens in remarkably free of alien invaders even species, and has now achieved an Tahiti, and avian malaria in Hawaii after a century of human occupation almost pan-tropical distribution. It is are unhappy legacies illustrating the and accompanying species a stowaway, traveling the world as devastating impact that single alien introductions. Christmas Island has concealed cargo; one rumour is that invaders can wreak on island life. been a rare jewel among oceanic Anoplolepis reached the island of These and other catastrophes have islands -maybe:, that is, until now. Mahe in the Seychelles hidden in a reinforced the notion that isolated bag of rice. This invasive alien ant has islands are especially vulnerable to Trouble has come to yet another wreaked untold (and usually invasion by exotic species, but we island paradise. Populations of the undocumented) environmental have always regarded Christmas introduced crilzy ant Anoplolepis damage on.maily tropical oceanic Island (Indi~ Ocean) as an exception gracilipes have now exploded in Islands, most notably Hawaii and the to the rule. Perhaps best known for undisturbed rain forest on Christmas Seychelles, through direct impacts on

2 ~ both native vertebrates and exposure to the ants. Normally, these make it. We have seen entire invertebrates. crabs are extremely abundant, migrations, involving tens of reaching a mean density and biomass thousands of red crabs, completely On Christmas Island, four key of 1.3 crabs per squaremeter and 1400 wiped out by crazy ants -in one characteristics make it a particularly kg per hectare.B y excluding red crabs supercolony we counted an average significant thre~t. First, like many from fenced experimental plots, and of six crab carcassesper squareineter. other tramp ants, Anoplolepis forms comparing them to unfenced controls, Presumably, the density of red crabs supercolonies, with multiple queens we have established that this crab is in source areas will eventually and little, if any, temtoriality between the dominant consumer on the forest decrease,with the result that seedling, colonies. Supercolonies can extend floor, controlling critical aspects of litter, and nutrient dynamics could over hectares and maintain densities ecosystem function on the island. By change dramatically even in areas far of foraging workers on the forest floor consuming le:af litter, seeds and removed from crazy ant in the order of 1000 ants per square seedlings in a broad diet, this one supercolonies. metre. Second, they- construct nests species almost single-handedly virtually anywhere, including the soil, controls the dynamics of seedling Second, without exception, ant tree hollows, beneath rocks and under recruitlnent, litter accumulation and supercotony formation has been thick leaf litter. Third, crazy ants are decay, and nutrient cycling on the assOciatedwith massive outbreaks of generalist consumers and forage islan-d. Red crabs are largely several different scale , the widely, being predators of a wide responsible for the very open most common and wide~pread of range of invertebrates and small understorey and mostly bare ground which is the lac scale Tachardina vertebrates both on the forest floor in the rain forest, unique structural aurantiaca. Within supercolonies, and in the canopies of large trees. features for which the island is noted. hordes of worker ants ascend the Fourth, this ant tends, protects and trunks of most large canopy trees to encourages the establishment of a In areas of supercolony formation, gather honeydew from dense variety of sap-sucking scale-insects, large tracts of forest have taken on infestations of sap-sucking scale which can be debilitating to their host characteristics which we had insects, which they then retuni to their plants. previously only seen on our small nests and distribute to other members experimental plots -the accumulation of the colony. In several areas, scale Although the crazy ant was first and persistence of a deep litter layer, outbreaks have been severeenough to reported from the island some 55 and the establishment of an incredibly causeexrensive canopy die-back, with years ago, it wasn't until 1989 that abundant and diverse seedling . a far greater p.roportion of dead and supercolony formation was first community. Similar impacts may dying trees than in nearby areas free detected, In December 1998 we even become apparentin areasremote of crazy ants. We also think that trees located supercolonies in at least eight from crazy ant supercolonies. Red infested with scale insects and their locations acrossthe island, ranging in crabs make annual breeding attendant crazy ants may be so area from several hectares to over 1 migrations, moving en massefrom the stressed, that rates of growth and krn2and totalling 2-3% of the forested forest interior to the coast to breed. f~cutldity may be significantly lower area on the island. The impact of the Most crazy ant supercolonies are at than in trees free of infestation. crazy ant within areasof supercolony lower elevations near the coast, so in formation is extraordinary. These several places, migrating red crabs Third, crazy ants directly threaten effects can be divided into three have had to traverse the supercolonies n~merous other species with high cat~gories: those associated with to reach the coast. It seemsthey never conservation value on Christmas impacts on the dominant red land crab, those associated with the probable mutualism between crazy ants and scale insects, and those related to effects on island species of special conservation value.

First, crazy ants annihilate resident populations of the endemic red land crab, Gecarcoidea natalis, which is found in rain forestall over the island. At this stage it is unclear how crazy ants (5 mm long and 2 mg live weight) can kill such large crabs with heavily calcified exoskeletons (to 120 mm carapace width and >500 9 live weight), but our observations suggest that de:ath occurs within 24-36 h of Island, particularly sea birds. For frightening rate, in the order of 1-3 m conspecifics through trophallaxis, ..c example, the Island IS the odly known per day in some locations. At that rate, before the bait eventually kills them. nesting location for the endangered it is not inconceivable that crazy ants Baiting entire supercolonies will be Abbott's booby (Papasula abbot ti) may completely over-run the forested all but impossible, and at this stage, and yulnerable Andrew's frigatebird areas on Christmas Island ( ca. 100 we favour a strategy of linriting the (Fregata andrewsi), both of which nest km2) within a few short years, with spread of existing infestations by in the canopies of rain forest trees. the devastatingconsequences we have baiting along their boundaries. The Given that crazy ants in the Seychelles outlined above. Even if Anoplolepis impact of the baits on non-target are known to attack domestic dogs, supercolonies dissipate behind the specieswill also have to be evaluated. chickens and pigs, it is not advancing front of invasion, structural However, to optinrize the allocation unreasonab)e to speculate that these changes in the forest precipitated by of limited human and financial and other birds (both tree and ground- the decimation of local land crab resoUrcesto combating this iJlvasion, we need to know much more about ...entire migrations, involving the population dynamics of Anop!olepis, the role of the putative tens of thousands of red crabs, ant-scale mutualism in the formation of ant supercolonies, and the wider completely wiped out by crazy impacts of the invasion on the island's native biota. Watch this space. ants Peter 1: Green1, Dennis I. O'Dowd2 nesters) are directly threatened by populations wiJl persist for decades. & R S. Lake2. foraging crazy ants. In fact, Anoplolepis supercolonies already Despite' this presage of doom, we Ip. 1: Green overlap Abbott's booby nesting areas close on a note of optimism. Ecosystem Dynamics Group . at several locations around the island. Elsewhere, many biological invasions Research School of Biological Christmas Island is also home to the have proceeded swiftly and silently. Sciences world's largest and most intact As a result, government agencies Australian National University, population of the coconut crab Birgus often find. themselves trying to Canberra, Australia 0200 latro, which like the red crab, is found manage an already massive problem throughout rain forest on the island. about which they .kllow very lit tie, for correspondence . We have seen coconut crabs killed in either in terms of the dynamics of the c/- Tropical Forest Research Centre, large numbers by crazy ants in most invader, or itsiri:ipact on native biota. C. S. I. R. 0. supercolonies. In addition, several However in this case, we have picked R 0. Box 780, Atherton, endemic skinks and geckos, and innu- up on the spread of the crazy ant very Queensland, Australia 4883 merable litter invertebrates, are early, and by virtue of our long Fax: + 61740913245 probably all vulnerable to extirpation association with the island, have been Email: peter:[email protected] in areas of crazy ant infestation. able to appreciate the formidable and Recent reports from Bird Island in the manifold threats these ants pose to 2D. Jo O'Dowd & P. So Lake Seychelles confirm our worst fears ecosystem integrity on the island. At Centre for the Assessment and about the potential impact of crazy this stage we estimate that just a few Management of Biological ants on Christmas Island's biota, percent of the island's forested area [nvasions especially vertebrates. Anoplolepis may be affected, so there is still time Department of Biological Sciences was first noticed there in 1991, and to act before crazy ant supercolonies Monash University, Clayton, infested ~bout half of this small (80 becolfie so widespread that managing Victoria, Australia 3[68 ha) island by 1998. Where the ants are their invasion will be all but Fax: + 6[ 3 99055613 abundant, they haye causedthe deaths impossible. However, action needs to Dennis. Odowd @scio monash. eduoau of white tern Gygis alba chicks, be taken now, Together with SamoLake @ sci.monasho eduoau caused the 'disappearance of the Environment Australia, we are endemic skink Mab'uya seychellensis, developing a plan that in the first and displaced some 60,000 breeding instance will initiate an island-wide pairs of the sooty tern Sternafitscata. survey of established and incipient ant supercolonies. Protocols for We are concerned that if ieft controlling Anoplolepis will also be unchecked on Christmas Island, assessed, incorporating the use of Anoplolepis will have a catastrophic baits laced with the stomach toxicant impact on a rather unique, and until hydra-methylnon. This is a slow now, relatively pristine oceanic island. acting poison, so worker ants have Our initial.observations indicate that time to ingest the bait, retUI:nit to their supercolonies can advance at "a colonies and distribute it to

4 In Issue No.6 of Aliens, James Wetterer discussed the ranging species groups which have not been adequately ecological impacts of exotic ant species in the islands of studied (e.g. Plagiolepis "alluaudi", Paratrechina the Pacific. Such impacts have been documented for other "sauteri", P. "bourbonica", Tapinoma islands in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean, in "melanocephalum", Technomyrmex " albipes ", Lepisiota North and South America and in Australia (e.g. Williams, 1994). However, very little has . "rothneyi" and "floricola"): Still other ants cannot be named to species~due been written on the impact of ex- to incomplete species descrip- otic lints in continental Asia or tions, lost type material and a Africa, even .though these conti- lack of-recent study, but might nents contain vast tropical areas, include lesser-known exotics. in which the (mostly tropical or subtropical) invasive ants might There is currently no evidence prosper. This may pe primarily that any of these potentially in- due to the shortage of ac~ive ant vasive ant species are spreading specialists in the region, but per- unchecked in natural (or semi- haps also to the assumption that natural) ecosystems in Hong the continental tropics, with their Kong. Outside urban areas,most rich native fauna, are invulnerable are known from only a handful to invasion. Is this the case?I will of sites in Hong Kong, Only Po consider an example from tropi- longicornis, A. gracilipes, P. cill South China. " bourbonica " and 7: " albipes " are both widespread and locally Hong Kong Special Administra- abundant. Of ihesePolongicomis tive Region has a land area of is largely commensal with ht1- some 1, 100'km2, including a sec- man habitations. A. gracilipes tion of the China mainland and has successfully colonised many several hundred islands up to 140 fringe habitats, where frequent km2 in size. The)and has had cen- human disturbance (including turies of heavy human impact, fIre) prevents succession ofveg~ and none of its primary forest re- etation (and ants). P. mains. The deforested land has " b(Jurbonica " and 7: "albipes " proven amenable to the spread of occur in both open and forest many exotic species, including, habitats, but only T. "albipes" some 150 to 300 vascular plants, achieves very high local densi- birds such as the abundant red- ties, and this only at a few tiny whiskered bulbul Pycnonotus forest fragments or forest edges. jocosus, and invertebrates such as In short, where potentially inva- the giant African land snail sive ants in Hong Kong thrive, it Achatina fulica (Dudgeon & appears to be in ecosystems Corlett, 1994). Of some 160 ant whose paucity of ant species is species recorded in Hong Kong more likely due to habitat distur- (Fellowes, 1996 and unpublished) bance than to the invasives them- only a few are known to be ex- selves. This could be because otic in origin: these include the they have not yet reach~d the fire ant Solenopsis geminata from South America; the more "natural" habitats, )(et for some of the speciesat least, big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala, the dacetonine with their proven di~persal abilities, this seemsan unlikely Quadristruma emmae and crazy ant Paratrechina explanation. The implication is that the native commu- longicomis from Africa; the pharaoh' s ants M onomorium' nity of ants (and perhaps other fauna) has, where intact, pharaonis and Monomorium destructor from India. None provided a measure of resistance to invasion. of these are very widespread outside urban areas. A number of other species are possibly exotic, but have However, habitat disturbance cannot be overlooked in uncertain natural distributions, belonging either to gen- considering the impact of exotic species. Much of the land era centered elsewhere (e.g. the long-legged ant in South China, and indeed tropical Asia, has been heav- Anoplolepis gracilipes, formerly longipes), or to wide- ily modified by human activities such as agriculture, for- estry .and urban development, result.: cess of exotic ants in 'intact' ecosys- Dudgeon, D. &R.T. Corlett, 1994. Hills ing in drastically impoverished native tems; such an understanding might and Streams: An Ecology of Hong communities. These are likely even enable their effective control in Kong. Hong Kong Ul1iversity Press, Hong Kong. to be more vulnerable to invasion than agricultural landscapes,by modifying Hong Kong's semi-natural terrestrial fringe habitats to the advantage of Fe11owes,J.R., 1996. Community ecosystems. Even where agricultural their enemies. Where agriculture SUf- Composition of Hong Kong Ants: activity has been abandoned, the re- rounds and even encroaches into na- Spatial and Seasonal Patterns. Ph.D. covery of the native commuliity is not ture reserves, as in South China, such thesis, The Universi0/ o(Hong Kong. guaranteed.During a recent field visit habitat management may prove im- to an area of Lantau Island (Hong portant in the conservation of forest Hoffmann, B.D., 1998. The Big-headed Ant Pheidole megacephala: a new Kong's largest island, less than 2 km biodiversity. from the mainland), ecologistsfoimd threat to monsoonal northwestern Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology only two ant species,R megacephala Traditional Chinese medicine puts 4, 250-255. and A. gracilipes. The former, re- great emphasis on maintaining the nowned as a threat to native inverte- natural balance of the body, rather Wetterer, J.K., 1997. Alien ants of the brate communities elsewhere (e.g. than treating the symptoms of extreme Pacific Islands. Aliens 6, 3-4. Hoffmann, 1998), occurred in particu- deviations. This principle could use- larly high numbers, and had pen- fully be applied to ecosystems; aba- Williams, D.F. (ed.), 1994. Exotic Ants' etrated a small forest as w~1l as the sic step is to ensure that the presence Biology, Impact, and Control of abandoned farmland surrounding it. and prevalence of exotic species is Introduced Species. Westview Press, Local resistance was not, it would being monitored. Thus to James Boulder,USA,& Oxford, UK. seem, insuperable. Wetterer's concern for island faunas, I would add a plea for information on John R. Pellowes Is fuis the shape of things to come in their continental counterparts. They Senior Conservation Officer South China? Or is it an aberration, a may be able to take care of them- Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden momentary insurgence to be crushed selves, but we can't be sure of it! Lam Kam ~oad, Tai Po by native species and their superior New Territories adaptations to local ~onditions? To Thanks to Barry Bolton (British Natu- Hong Kong make such predictions, we need an rat History Museum, UK) for infor- China Tel: (852) 24839534 jmproved knowledge of the interac- mation on ant distributions, and Fax: (852) 24831877 . tions between species,as well as their Graham Reels (Kadoorie Farm & climate tolerances.It is crucial to find Botanic Garden, Hong Kong) for Email: [email protected]:net out what, if anything, 1imits the suc- specimen collection and comments.

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In Aliens 5 the successfuleradications introduced weed, scrub and grass.The While we believe total eradication has of mice from Cocos and Sables work was carried out by a team from been achieved, we will have to wait Islands (Rodrigues ), black rat from Wildlife Management International for the resul~sof two years monitoring Gabriel Island, and brown rat and Limited (New Zealand) and was before we can be absolutely sure. If black-naped hares from Gunners assistedthroughout by National Parks the programme was successful, it will Quoin were reported. All these and Conservation Service and be one of the largest islands from eradications were successful; Mauritius Wildlife Appeal Fund staff. which the black rat has been removed. however, on Gunners Quoin some The removal of these opens irresponsible person has released The island had to have grid lines cut the way for further restoration of the rabbits. It is hoped that these can be every 25 metres and the bait laid out habitat by weed control and planting removed using bait left over from an every 25 metres along these. The bait of indigenous species.Later the island eradication programme on Flat Island. used was Pestoff (active ingredient could be used for translocation of .02% brodifacoum) produced by some of the endeIIric bird and reptile Flat Island was the focus of a rodent Control Products, New species. and feral cat eradi~ation programme Zealand. This accounted for all the during September and Octeber 1998. rodents and at least one cat by Brian D. Bell This island, 253 ha, had a population secondarypoisoning. Another cat was Managing Director of black rats (Rattus rattus), mouse trapped and killed. The cat population Wildlife Management International (Mus mus6ulus) and feral cat. The was thought to have been only a few Limited island is covered mainly with stray animals left behind by visitors.

6 XIX Pacific Science Congress July 4-9, 1999 Sydney, Australia

Symposium Introduced and invasive biota

Introduced and invasive biota are a majotsymposium topic of the XIX Pacific Science Congress, to be held July 4- 9, 1999 at UNSW, Sydney. The symposium Will be divided into four sections: ~arine organisms and ballast water invasive terrestrial plants t-errestrial invertebrates vertebrates

Registration details and instructions for abstracts are available on the web: l\'l http: / / Www.icmsaust.com.au / / Paci£icScience/ or from :., ",1..';- \ DanielJ. Bickel EntomologySection '.~:'::::;::I ~ \ \:,;,~ AustralianMuseum ;.')* 6 CollegeStreet -- ~- ""\ Sydney ~ NSW2000 AUSTRALIA Tel:61-2-9320-6347 Fax:61-2-9361-5479 e-mail: [email protected]

Workshop: Methods to control and eradicate non-native terrestrial vertebrates, Malta, 3-5 June 1999

A workshop on "Methods to control and eradicate non-native terrestrial vertebrates" will be held in Malta on 3-5 June 1999. For more informatiQn, contact theorganiser:

Gianluca Silvestrini Environment Conservation and Management and Regional Plartnirig pivision Council of Europe F-67075Strasbourg Cedex -France Tel (+33) 3 8841 35 59 Fax (+33) 388413751 E-mail: gianluca.silvestrini@coe,fr

Web: http: / /www.coe.fr / eng / act-e / eenviro.hbn

7 Proceedings of the Workshop on Databases The Greater New England Symposium on for Nonindigenous Plants [USA] the Ecology of Invasive Species

Gainesvi11e,Florida The Greater New England Symposium on the Ecology September 24-25, 1997 of Invasive Species took place on February 27, 1999 at Yale University. Titles and authors are posted, and By Colette C. Jacono and Charles p Boydstun. abstracts from this meeting are now available on the U.S. Geological Survey in Cooperation with Federal Web in the form of a downloadable PDF file. The Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious abstracts will also be posted in html format shortly. and Exotic Weeds and National Biological Information Infrastructure At the present time, we are being hosted by the Yale http ://nas.er. us gs. goy /publications/plants/ Forest Forum Web page and so our page does not have a plant- workshop/npwrkshp/ direct URL. To reach the page go to: http://www.yale.edulyfflhtmVhome.html and scroll down to 'Education and Outreach', click on forums, and then on The Greater New England Symposium on the Ecology of Invasive Species. Alien Invading Plants and Water Resources Scientific papers from the Symposium will also appear in South Africa in a special issue 9f the journal Biological Invasions, with publication expected late 1999.

A very imoportant publication was recently published Laura Meyerson and Elizabeth Farnsworth by the Water Research Commission of SA" Alien Laura.ahearn @yale.edu Invading Plants and Water Resources in South Africa" D B Versfeld, D C Le Maitre and R A Chapman. WRC Report Do Tf 99/98. Sept. 1998. ISBN 1 86845 360 x. Obtainable from : Invasive Alien Species: A Summary of The WRC, Box 824, Pretoria 000 I. ?ublic Dialogue Exploring New Solutions to E-mail order: [email protected] an Ofd Persistent Problem It is worth reading the book (200 pp). A symposium, "Invasive Alien Species: A Summary of Communicted by Public Dialogue Exploring New Solutions to an Old Dr H G Zimmermann Persistent Problem" was held ~t Yale on May 6, 1998 Agricultural Research Council hosted and coordinated by the Yale Forest Forum, to Plant protection Research Centre foster dIscussion and feedback in the lead up to the Weeds Research Division Executive Order [USA]. Private Bag X134 PRETORIA A summary of is available on the Web at 0001 http:/ /www .yale.edulyff/html/body -invasive.html. SOUTH AFRICA The complete summary must be downloaded. A hard Tel: +27-12329-3276 copy is also available. Fax: +27-12329-3278

Contact: Keri Gibson at [email protected].

8 Sth International Conference on the Ecology of Invasive Alien Plants welcome, on the topics indicated and others falling 13-16 October, 1999 within the scope of the Conference.

La Maddalena, Sardinia -ITAL y See also: http:llwww.botany.org/bsa/announcel iceiap.html Invasions of plant species have for a long time drawn the attention of botanists, agronomist and ecologists. Dr Giuseppe Brundu Although this resulted in an ever-increasing body of c/o Dipartimento di Botanica ed Ecologia Vegetale scientific literature on "invasion biology" we still do not Universita di Sassari completely understand all aspeCtsof this process and its Via F. Muroni, 25 impact on ecosystems. This Conference will be the 07100 Sassari -Italy continuation of a series of meetings that started in 1992 e-mail: in Loughborough, GB, and was continued in Kostelec, [email protected] ~zech Republic, in 1993, in Tempe, AZ, USA in 1995 [email protected] and in Berlin, Germany, in October 1997. Itwill offer ph. + 390335237315 the chance to continue discussions of its predecessors fax + 39 079 233600 and concentrate on issues identified as important during preceding meetings. Terrestrial EcosystemResearch Initiative CONFERENCE TOPiCS (TERI) You are invited to make an active contribution; ple~se, share your experience, problems, ideas and proposition The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative (TERI) with other participants. We propose the following was set up under the European Union (EU) Follrth Framework Research Programme as an umbrella topics: organisation for EU funded ecosystem research. TERI (a) What makes a plant invasive? (http://www.nbu.ac.uk/terica/) is currently addressing (b) How can the effectS (e.g. economic) of plant the issue of areas of ecosystem research neglected under invasions be assessed? Framework Four (the most recent five year rolling {c)Costleffect analyses of control measures programme of EU research) and identifying priorities (d) Early warning. risk analyses for research under the forthcoming Framework Five ( e) Habitats management and trophic interactions Research Programme. One area that has been identified (f) Policies is the issue of Aliens and Outbreak Species in Europe. (g) Invasive Plants and National Parks. Nature Reserves. Protected Areas. Botanical Gardens. A small workgroup to address this issue in its European Historical Gardens. Parks in Town context was planned for the 17th and 18th February (h) Invasive Plants in Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystems 1999 at the University of Durham, UK. (i) Modeling plant invasions. computer simulations. Geographical Inform~tion Systems and other More irifonnatioff mechanisms for compiling information: their uses and misuses. Philip Hulme, There will also be room for reports on individual case Department of Biological Sciences, studies. University ofDurham, Durham. DH1 3LE. UK PAPERS Tel +44-191-374-3353 We are looking forward to your presentation. Papers, Fax +44-191-374.:2417 Posters, Video Presentations Or any other new E-mail [email protected] technologies in sharing your experiences are http: /lwww. du1:ac. ukl-dblOwww/Staff/H ulme/ hulme.html

9 Several waves of plant importation have upset the which covers the herbaceous savannahssubject to landscapesof Reunion Island in less than 350 years. salted spindrifts, with impenetrable thorny thick- In 1989, one could count 1,052 introduced flower- ets. It is also the case of Acacia meamsii, which, ing plants in the natural or semi-natural environ- 600 m up, invades the fallow lands of the West and ment of Reunion Island, compared to 675 indig- the South. At medium altitude, the gullies and the enous ones. Of the total numb.er, 620 (36 %) are valley-bottoms which have been severely cleared non-naturalized introductions, 432 (25 %) are natu- in the past, sometimes shelter real oceans of ralized and the 675 indigenous ones make up only Lantana camara or Rubus alceifolius . 39 %. Some of the naturalized plants have rapidly revealed themselves to be invading, some sixty of The littoral zones are equally very affected by these them upsetting the structure of the natural surround- invasions. Recently, Schinus terebenthiflius has ings and disturbing the ecological processinvolved. upset the vegetative areas of huniid zones, Just up from the beach, the shore is disfigured by Prosopis The last relics of the semi,.dry forest are nowadays juliflora,which stretches over the whole of the lit- the most threatened by several invading plants. toral, in the North and West of the island, causing Among these is Hyptage bengha1ensis,which in- problems for seasideresort tourism. vades by literally smothering the indigenous trees under an inextricable green fleece. At a higher alti- University studies are starting which will provide tude, the underwoods are locally affected by a pro- the means to evaluate and grade the ecological im: fusion of Ligustrum robustum ssp. walkeri, which pact of the invading plants. Moreover, since 1997, endangers regeneration of indigenous plants. two research programmes have been financed by Leucaena leucocephala, which was already con- the local collectivities (Region-Reunion) in ordet: sidered as invading at the end of the la~t century, to identify methods of biological control against only grows well in the most degraded areas. Rubus alceifolius and Ligustrum robustum ssp. walkeri. As with any biological control method, it The rainforest presents relatively circumscribed will be necessary to find biocontrol agents that are spots of plant invasions. The latter are mainly made very specifi~ to the targeted species. up of Rubus alceifolius, Psidium cattleianum and Syzygium jambos. These species, with a few geo- For the future, we have to further promote public graphical exceptions, remain localized and don't awareness, more particularly to check imports. In stand out as.ablemish in the little disturbed natural addition, prograIi1mesof regional cooperation with surroundings. But it is not the same, either for the other islands of the Occidental Indian Ocean Hedychiumjlavescenswhich, year after year, un- would be desirable. rolls a continuous sward of rhizomes preventing any regeneration of native flora, or for Fuchsia Jacques Tassin lnagellanica which shoots up the steepest slopes ClRAD-Foret, 7, chemin de l'IRA1; Ligne by climbing on to the indigenous vegetation. Paradis, 97410 Saint-Pierre, France E-mail: [email protected] The most disturbed mountain rainforests like the forests of Acacia heterophylla on the western slopes [Also see page 131 are locally threatened by the competition of Aca- cia meamsii.ln various places, the ericold vegeta- tion of high altitudes is itself supplanted little by little by the development of Ulex europae~s. In addition. all of the formations at high altitude are jeopardized by the spreadingof graminacea(Holcus lanatus, Anthoxanthum odoratum) which encour- age outbreaks of fire.

The agricultural areas that are very disturbed are the sceneof invasions by undesirable plants as well. Some woody mimosacea can't be mastered with- out the assistanceof heavy engines and at very high costs. This is the case of Dichrostachys cinerea,

10 Introduced Species in the N ordic Countries N ordic Council of Ministers (NMR) proj ect

The Nordic Council of Ministers (NMR) has funded a shareborders and the speciesthat act as invaders are often project "Introduced Speciesin the Nordic Countries". The the SaD1e,hence it is very relevant to share infoimation countries participating in this project are Iceland, Sweden, between those countries. Finland, Norway and Denmark. The project aim is to make an inventory of the effects of introduced species in the We now have our first version of this Internet based list Nordic countries (including .ecological and economic of researchersand adrninistratorsin tbe field of introduced effe.cts). The project includes only introduced speciesthat species.The short name of the list is NNIS and its location could potentially damage the natural/semi natural is: http://www.sns.dk/natur/nnis/indexuk.htm ecosystems/habitats,not those speciesthat are agricultural or forestry pests. It is our hope that the list will be of use for you and your colleagues in the field of introduced species: For The resulting report, which will be published in English, further information about the project will discuss selected cases from the marine, freshwater please contact myself: and terrestrial biomes. A list of introduced species found in the countries involved will be prepared for each of these Inger Weidema three biomes. Furthermore the report will contain Botanicallnstitute suggestions for a Nordic policy on the area. Ecology department University of Copenhagen Another product of the project has been to assemble a list K-Oester Farimagsgade 2D of addresses and keywords for a wide range of Copenhagen K knowledgeable Nordic scientist and administrators within Denmark the area of introduced species. The aim of this list is to TLF: +453532 2298 allow administrators and scientist easy access to each FAX: +4535322321 other, even between countries. The countries involved E-mail: [email protected]

11 On 1 February 1999 UK Environment Minister Michael The problem causedby the migr:ation of the Ruddy Ducks Meacher announced that he has accepted the and their expansion into Europe is that they are aggressive recommendation of the White-headed Duck Task Force and mate with the White-headed Ducks, producing a fertile that there should be a trial to establish whether it is feasible hybrid. The greatest threat to the White-headed buck to reduce the numbers of the introduced North American comes from hybridisation and competition with the Ruddy Ruddy Duck (Oxyurajamaicensis) in the United Kingdom. Duck.

Research into the population change of Ruddy Ducks The trial will establish whether it is feasible to move on to following their introduction to the UK shows how numbers a larger control strategy, to find out what the cost of this have increased and the range widened over the years. The would be, and to assessthe implications for landowners; pattern of continental occurrence correlates with the UK it will be carried out by the Central Science Laboratory increase and did not begin until they were well established under contract in three areas of Great Britain -the West in the UK. A study of Ruddy Ducks in mainland Europe Midlands, Anglesey and Fife. shows there is no other source that could account for the number of birds occurring in the wild on the continent.

Apart from protecting the remaining Western European Background population of the White-headed Duck, if no action to The Ruddy Duck was introduced into the UK in the 1950s. control Ruddy Ducks is taken soon, the Ruddy Duck is Some Ruddy Ducks brought there as captive birds escaped likely to reach the key White-headed Duck breeding sites to the wild, and experienced a rapid population growth, further east. Individual Ruddy Ducks have already been with a tenfold increase between 1975 and 1990. The UK sighted in Turkey. population now numbers around 4,000 birds. Source: The White-headed Duck Task Force was announced by Press release from the UK Department of the Environment, Michael Meacher on 6 July 1998. It was set up to Transport,and the Regions, Issued Monday I February recommend the best scientific and cost effective method 1999 of carrying out a controlled reduction in numbers of the Ruddy Duck in order to assesswhether it is necessaryand [Also see:Aliens 1, March 1995,page 10] practicable to move to a larger control strategy.

In the late 1970s, the Western European population of the White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala), located in Spain, had declined to a number of only 22 birds. Action by the Spanish authorities through the protection of sites and the banning of hunting has helped to increase the total ~~ number of birds to aroundl,OOO. 11

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12 The invasive behaviour and the biological control of Ligustrum robustum subsp. walkeri on the Mascarene island of La Reunion

The native ecosystems of the Indian late 1997 by the ONF of La Reunion enemies, and several potential agents, Ocean Mascarene Islands are with the work being carried out by both fungal and , have been characterised by high levels of CABI Bioscience-UK Centre collected and identified. endemicity (72 % of the Angiosperm (fonnerly the International Institute of Pathogenicity studies have begun on flora can be found nowhere else) and Biological Control). This is thought those plant pathogens colJected habitat destruction due to human to be the firstbiocontrol programme (mostly hemibiotrophic members of activities as. well as biological against environmental weeds for the Dothideales) and host range mvaslons. France and such an approach has experiments are underway on two never been used against any members moth speciesand several chrysomelid More than 98 % of the archipelago's of the Oleaceae.This project is funded beetles., Further surveys are now primary vegetation remnants are by the Regional Council of La planned to include the area of origin found in La Reunion (French Reunion with support by the of the genus Ligustrum, believed to OverseasDepartment of France), due European Union (EEC) and is being be South China and Vietnam, where to the fact that 40 % of the island are run concmrently with that of CIRAD- the greatest diversity of natural managed by the National Forest Montpellier (Fr) against Rubus enemies are likely to be found. Such Office (O~ and most of the native alceifolius. Collaboration with the surveys may also be of benefit to forest areas are protected. Rubus Post-Graduate Institute of Agrjculture America and Australasia where other alceifolius (Rosaceae)and Ligustrum (pGIA), University of Peraderiiya, Sri Ligustrum species are rapidly robustum subsp. walkeri (Oleaceae) Lanka should enable continue;d becoming serious invasive weeds. are some of the worst alien invasive detailed surveying for natural enemies plants in the native forests. R. and a comparative study of the The biological control programme for alceifolius has invaded Mauritius and ecology of the plant in Sri Lanka and L. robustum in La Reunion will run La Reunion for a long time whereas La Reunion to be undertaken. The until the end of 2002 by which time L. robustum has recently been flfSt collaborative researchproject on several biological control agents introduced into La Reunion. the ecological aspect was initia.ted by should have. been screened for a scientist from the University of La specificity. In-depth ecological studies near the Reunion until 1996. first site of introduction in La Reunion Christophe Lavergne have revealed pure stands of L. Using dried leaf samples collected Laboratoire de Biologie Vegetale robustum in disturbed forest patches d.uring surveys in Sri Lanka, South~ Universite de La Reunion -Faculte and high seedling-banks in the less West India and North-East India, des Sciences et Technologies disturbed patches (that is to say in the researchersat St. Aildrews University 15, Avenue Rene Cassin, B.P. 7151 places with no aliens and no human were able to apply molecular 97715 Saint-Denis Messag Cedex 9 damage) Its characteristic high techniques to prove that Sri Lanka ne de La Reunion (France) germination levels, rapid growth rate, was the country of origin of the L. E-mail: [email protected] shade tolerance and very low robustum biotype invading La mortality, combined with massive Reunion and Mauritius. It is thought fruit production and dispersal by birds that the initial introduction in Dick Shaw (CABI) contribute to this weed's ability to Mauritius was through Botanical International Institute of Biological invade intact forests. Mechanical and Garden exchangesat the beginning of Control chemical control of privet is difficult, the century. The species group will Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 TTA especially on steep mountain slopes probably need!evision in the light of U.K. and it remains a major threat to the the DNA findings. indigenous montane forests. Surveys on the Indian subContinent [Also seepage 10] Hence, it was decided that biological showed that Ligustrum is an control would be the most appropriate innocuous member of the native flora, option and a classical biological attacked by a range of natural controJ prqgrammewas initiated in

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.:::"~~;':...~;j;o..:~.' ,. ...'. ,', ' -, On February 3 1999. the United States President Clinton signed an executive order ~".. (EO) to coordinate a Federal strategy to address the growing environrnenta1.and economic threat of invasive species.plants and animals that are not native to ecosys- J'~\~::~* f~i:1..::t~' terns of the United States.

. : ;~i:: ;.:. . , ,~*. ..:~:.i.1jl Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, and Com- merceUnder Secretary James Baker told a news conference that the order creates ::.~~.;:: ;;;t~;~ an Invasive Species CounciL The Council will develop a comprehensive plan to ~~,~ minimize the economic, ecological, and human health impacts of invasive species and determine further steps to prevent the introduction and spread of additional invasive species. The Council, to be chaired by Glickman, Babbitt, and Commerce Secretary William Daley, will work in cooperation with a variety of groups - including states, tribes, scientists, universities, shipping interests, environmental groups and farm organizations -to combat invasive pl~ts and animals.

The Council has seven duties:

(1) "overseeingimplementation of the EO; (2) supporting tield-level planning; (3) identifyiQg international recommendations; (4) creating National Environmental policy Act guidance; (5) establishing an impact monitoring network; (6) developing a web-based information network; (7) preparing a National Invasive Species Management Plan.

President Clinton's budget for fiscal year 2000, proposes an increase of more than $28.8 million in funding to combat invasive species. This includes new funding for combating exotic pests and diseasesas well as accelerating research on habitat restoration and biologically-based integrated pest management tactics,

The announcements signal an expanded effort to combat invasive species. The President's order directs federal agencies to use their authority to prevent the introduction of invasive species and to restore native species.It directs the new interagency Council to come up with an invasive species management plan within 18 months,

Federal officials were joined at today's announcement by eminent Ha;rvard biologist E.O. Wilson. Other scientists who have led calls for stronger federal action to combat invasive species include James T. Carlton of Williams College; DonC. Scbrnitz of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Daniel Simberloff, the Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Excellence in Environmental Studies at the University of Tennessee;and Phyllis N. Windle, author of a con- gressional report on invasive species.

Aggressive federal actions are already underway, including measures to preyent the entry of invasive species, eradicate invasive species before establishment, control invasive species once established, and conduct outreach and education for the general public. These actions include: o To prevent entry of invasive species, USDA has more than I ,300 inspectors at more than 90 ports of entry inspecting commOdities. The inspectors are assisted in some ports by the Beagle Brigade, a group of dogs trained to sriiff out prohibited agricultural products., o USDA has prohibited the importation of untreated wood packing material from China, which has previously carried the Asian long-homed beetle into the United States -and has proposed extending this ban to other countries. o The u .S. Fish and Wildlife Service will build a barrier in the Chicago Ship Canal, to prevent the spread of invasive species between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins. o The InteriorDepartment is spending $4.5 million annually to prevent the spread of the brown tree snake from Guam. The Department of Defense is part of this effort. Key elements are an extensive control program on Guam, support for research effort to develop new control measures, and participation in Oahu's island-wide surveiUance and response plan. o The National Oceanic and.Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Interior Department, and other federal and state agencies are working to restore the , natural ecology of the South Florida and Everglades ecosystems. As this massive replumbing gets underway, NOAA and the Interior Department have made clear that safeguards must be taken to ensure that the new water flows do not become highways for exotic species to be transported through Florida's fragile environ. ment. o NOAA is sponsoring research on new technologies for treatment of ballast water to reduce the threat of foreign organisms being discharged into u.s. waters o The federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds collabOrated on research and publication of a comprehensive fact book on invasive plants.

Source: Media Release, U.S.Department of the lnteriol; Office of the Secretary Feb.3, 1999

Editorial Comment: President Clinton's Executive Order on invasive exotic/alien species caused a great deal of rejoicing by invasive species people, and rightly so. The hundreds of scientists that added their weight to the push for this initiative (several ISSG members amongst them) are all to be congratulated!! MDp. The Working for Water programme was started by the South African government's Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in October 1995. As part of the nation's reconstruction and development project, this invasive alien plant control programme now includes partnerships with other government departments: the private sector, European and American sponsors. The return on investment is high. Benefits include: enhanced water production through clearing invasive alien plants (mainly Eucalyptus, Acacia and Pinus spp.) along rivers, watercourses and wetlands; the mitigation of one of the greatest threats to the conservation of biological diversity and ecological "stability; and the alleviation of poverty through the creation of some 40,000 jobs. More than 300,000 hectares have been cleared, 42,059 jobs created and over 120,000 person days of training have been undertaken since October 1995. The training has included the fields of business management skills (8% ), work related skill~ (50% ), life skills (19%), environmental benefits:management skills ( 19%), and other (4%, ). The programme's 20 year &ttategy could have the following

Em11owered11eo11le: Over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs, supporting a further 200,000 people, most of whom are the "poorest of the poor".

~ Preventing the loss of over 4,000 million cubic metres of water from the hydrological cycle every year.

Lm!.t Intensive (e.g. crops) and extensive (e.g. wildflowers) use of over one million hectares of land after 20 years.

~: Use of over one million tonnes of wood per year (e.g. crafts, fumiture,charcoal, chips).

Disaster management: Fires are the biggest disaster management is~ue associated with invading alien plants and are capable of causing millions of rands worth of damage. Flooding is also strongly correlated with the aftermath of fires.

For the 20 year strategy to achieve its goal of reducing all key areasto a level where there would only be follow up costs required, s~me 750,000 hectares need to be cleared annually, which implies a substantial increase to the current level of input.

For more info: The Working for Water programme 1997/98 Annual Report. ManyakaGreyling N, Waterkloof, 0145, Pretoria, South Africa.

Report sent in by WayneLot tel; Alien Plant Control Manager Sappi Forests South Africa

16 New web site on Pacific invasive species

Invasive alien species are a problem world-wide, bQt are plans include publishing the infonnation in a loose-ieaf often particularly threatening to island ecosystems. binder for ready reference. Also planned are inf9nnation Information about invasive plant species that are present leaflets on some of the major problem species that should in Micronesia and American Samoa, or have been be quarantined from further spread. Other activities identified as outside threats, is now available on the planned include a workshop on management of invasive Internet. The Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) species for foresters, park and other land managers, and web site can be accessed at http://www.hear.org/pier/. quarantin~ officers (requested by resolution at the recent While the focus of the site is on Micronesia and American Pacific Heads ()f Forestry meeting) and the development Samoa, other Pacific islands face the same threats and can of a risk-rating scheme to help set priorities for quarantine utilize the information. Most of the problem speciesfound and, if necessary,eradication or control. in Micronesia or American Samoa are present on other Pacific islands, and identified outside threats would likely The web site is a work in progress. Comments and be a problem on any tropical island. suggestionsfor improvement are welcomed. For a number of species information is incomplete. There are probably For ~achspecies, scientific and common names,a botanical species which have been overlooked. If you can provide description, methods of reproduction and spread, habitat information, please send it. That way it can be placed on and ecology, native range, presencethroughout the Pacific, the web site for the benefit of all. and options for control are provided. Wher~ available, photos or line drawings are included to aid in identification. Jim Space Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Project Because not everyone has access to the Inteme;t, future [email protected]

Southern African plant Distribution maps of Acaciamearnsii and Prosopis spp. in Southern Africa. invaders atlas (SAPIA)

An atlas of alien plant invaders in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland was launched in January 1994 for an initial five-year period until December 1998. The aim of the Southern African plant invaders atlas (SAPIA} is to gather basic information such as distribution, abundance and habitat types of plant invaders on a 1/4 degree (15 minute} square basis. There is also provision for more precise grid references. Information is recorded on two standardised atlas sheets, each listing 100 plant taxa, and with a combined total of 161 species.A pocket field guide to all listed species has also been published. The datab~se management system DataBase is used for computerising the~atao The databaseincludes 23,000 records, covering 200 species, collected by the author on roadside surveys from 1979-1993. It will also include data on Declared Weeds and Alien Invaders from the Department of Agriculture's Conservation Audits which started in 199L :t [Summarised from: Henderson L. ( 1998); Applied Plant Sciences, 12 ( 1), po 31-32 J For more information: ~t 26-

Lesley Henderson 27- Plant Protection Research Institute 28- Agricultural Research Council 29-

C/ONBI (National Botanical Institute ) 30- Private Bag X101 Pretoria 0001 SOUTH AFRICA TEL: +2712804 3200 Email [email protected] :!

17 WHAT IS IN THE WEED PLAN DOCUMENTS?

The Strategic Planfor Managing Invasive Weeds(SPMIW) provides a 10-page overview of weed impacts and trends, but otherwise doesn't focus on specific weed species or control methods. Rather it concentrates on identifying the critical strategic objectives and needs for properly managing weed threats to public conservation lands in the New Zealand Conservation Minister Nick Smith launched long term. It includes general principles, objectives and the Department of Conservation's (DOC) national weed managementapproaches, targets for DOC's weed activities plan on 31 January 1999. This weed plan will provide the to 2002, criteria for evaluating the feasibility of framework for the department's many activities relevant programmes, and detailed ranking sy&tems.The plan also to managing weed threats to the public conservation estate. outlines DOC's priorities for activities that support weed It comes in three parts, all of which are available to the management( e.g. research,surveillance, staff training, and public at no charge. management systems)

.Strategic Plan for Managing Invasive A key element in the plan is that it distinguishes between Weeds;86 pp. This is the formal weed plan. needing toprot~ct those natural areaswe valueftom weed .Space Invaders. 28 pp.This summarises threats, and needing to make strategic attempts to manage the key parts of the weed plan. It is in full co}our emerging weed problems. These two approaches split a with 28 photos and maps. complicated issue into two clear objectives, respectively .Invasive Weed Threats. 66 pp. This implemented by "site-Ied" and "weed-Ied" control describes over 300 natural areas at risk from programmes. A second key element in the plan is that it weed impacts, and 18 programmes where the highlights the scale and complexity of weed threats, and objective is to eradicate or contain a species on a the need for DOC, regional councils, landowners, Iwi, regional scale. researchers, and the general public to work together to protect New Zealand's unique natural heritage. It is clear that invasive weeds are one of the ~eatest threats to New Zealand's biodiversity. Almost half of all vascular The Invasive WeedThreats document provides the details plant species~owing wild in New Zealand are introduced. of 306 site-led and 18 weed-led programmes identified as To date over 19,000 introduced plant species have been at June 1998. There are probably another few hundred site- ideIitified, of which about 2,068 have so far natU1"alised. led programmes still to be included, but it nevertheless In comparison, New Zealand's has about 2,400 native starts to give a real picture of the nature and scale of the vascular plants, about 80% of which are endemic. To date; .weed problem. The site-led programmes are listed by DOC has identified over 240 naturalised speciesas current conservancy, and each one has information on the or potential invasive weeds, but this number is increasing Programme's location, general community type, importMt as DOC gathers more information and new species natural values of the place, the weeds present,their threats naturalise. DOC estimates that at least 580,000 hectares and the hectarespotentially affected, and whether DOC is of New Zealand's unique natural places will be threatened currently running a control programme there. in the next 10 to 15 years if nothing is done. More specifically, invasive weeds affect the survival of 77 Space Invaders provides an brief overview of what is in threatened native plants, and of native animals on many theSPMIW and Invasive Weed Threats. It does not include sites. . the detailed ranking and decision.making systems that are iilthe main plan. Space Invaders is therefore probably far more digestible for most people. For those who would like more detailed information on weed impacts than Space Invaders provides, the chapter on weed impacts and trends in the SPMIW is available as a separate reprint.

18 HOW TO ORDER For overseas orders, there is an additional poStage and packaging fee ofNZ$10. To order contact: Department of Conservation 1998. Space Invaders. A summary of the Department of Conservation Strategic DOC Science Publications Plan for Managing Invasive Weeds. 28 p. (no charge). Dept of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420, Wellington Owen,S.J. 1998. Department of Conservation Strategic Phone: (04) 4710726 Plan for Managing Invasive Weeds. 86 p.{no charge). Fax: (04) 4713279 e-mail: [email protected]

Owen, S.J. (Comp.) 1998. Invasive weed threats. Weed. [Note provided by Chris Buddenhagen, DOC led and site-1edprogrammes identified by the Depart- CBuddenhagen @doc.govt.nzJ ment of Conservation, June 1998.66 p. (no charge)

INRODUCING: SPREP's INVASIVE SPECIES PROGRAMME PROJECT OFFICER

Introducing Project Officer:. Invasive Species and Threatened Avifauna, South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Apia, Samoa. ***** "On lOSeptember 1998 I started as Programme Officer Avifauna Conservation and Invasive Species based in Apia Samoa. I have worked for the last 12 years in the New Zealand Departi:nentof Conservati~n's Science and Research Unit based in Head Office, Wellington. There I was primarily a scientist studying.pest mammals, threatened birds and invertebrates, herpetofauna, initiating and managing contract research, and managing research staff. Th~ new SPREP position has been funded by New Zealand Over~easDevelopment Aid and AusAid.

My first task will be to set up a Regional Workshop on Invasive Species (involving the 26 member countries of SPREP), and following input from participants, facilitate writing an Action Plan for the Region. I hope that one of the outcomes of the workshop will be a rank-ordered list of projects for .which we will seek funding and hence implement the plan. Funding for the workshop has been received from AusAid. Prior to the Workshop, a technical review will be completed. This review will detail what is exactly known about the main groups of invasive species in the South Pacific and the means by which they are being spread. Upon completion the review will be circulated to Workshop participants and published for wider use. The workshop is planned for October 1999.

Another task will be to update t4e Regional Avifauna Action Plan and hold sub-regional meetings to decide on new species recovery initiatives -hopefully in collaboration with existing projects such as Community Based Conservation Areas.

If you are interested in being kept informed in the above projects or being involved you are invited to make contact with me." web http://www.sprep.org.ws

Greg Sherley Project Office1; Invasive Species and Threatened Avifauna South Pacific Regional Environment Programme PO Box 240 Apia Samoa. Ph (685) 21929, Fx (685) 20231 Email: [email protected]/ ~

ALIENS Subscriptions Please fill in, cut out, and send this panel to receive A!iens. Cheques should be made payable to "IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group" and sent to Maj De Poorter at ISSG, SEMS, University of Auckland (Tamaki Campus), Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. I wish to subscribe to Aliens (2 issues per year): Individual1 year US$18 copies (and backcopies) 2ava-ilable years US$35...;for US$10 each. 3 years US$50

Waiver of subscription fees: on application Name:

Address:

19 Report: The first N ational Conference on Marine Bioinvasions (Massachusetts, USA)

The first National Conference on During the Conference, several water as a transfer vector, other Marine Bioinvasions; held January consistent themes emerged -a call for pathways included aquaculture {both 24-27, 1999 at the Massachusetts action, identification of prevention intentional and unintentional), bait Institute of Technology brought and control strategies, the need for industry, aquarium trade, fouling, and together 250 scienti:;ts, managers and education, support for research and several other categories such as industry representativesfrom allover management of data. Preyention is canals,research, and seafoodindustry. the world. Presentations and poster usually the most cost-effective Efforts to prevent invasions need to sessions highlighted sources of approach, but stopping all invasions address all of the vectors and marine invaders and suggested ways in not realistic. Five strategies were implement approachesthat prevent or to prevent and control new alien identified to minimize, reduce or minimize introductions. The species in sessions on ballast water, eliminate invading species. The goals worldwide distribution of bait is one patterns of invasions, ecological and are (I) to prevent invasions, (2) to example of a transfer pathway that is evolutionary consequences and implement an early detection system, not managed as a source of exotic technologies for preventing or (3) to support a rapid response to species. controlling exotic species.Thecross- invasions, (4) to eradicate whenever fertilization of ideas among the possible) and (5) to control Education of stakeholders, training of participants was as exciting as the established species. The potential for the next generation of scientists and presentations and posters. any species to become invasive was outreach to the public are components a recurring theme and one that call~ that lead to support for legislation, for One of the highlight& of the for more aggressive management implementation of action items to Conference was the keynote address approaches than lire currently in place prevent eradicate and control by U.S. Secretary of the Interior, today. Scientists .called for more invading species, and for early Bruce Babbitt. He opened his remarks studies to identify the impacts of detection. Unfortunate1y, "politics is by noting that the effects from marine invasions-' with some invaders sexy" and public support usually invaders may be more severe than oil becoming commercial successes, rallies around a serious economic or spills. The accelerating rate of exotic Other presenters focused on the human health threat. species transfer reflects global trade importance of- eradicating or routes that have increased in minimizing the effect of invasions. This short discussion does not do frequency and diversity. The The eradication of a sabellid worm justice to the scientific papers administration supports efforts to that was destroying an abalone describing impacts of invasions, minimize and eliminate introductions aquaculture industry was successful. presentations on technologies to and called for international The early response and consistent minimize or prevent releases of cooperation and collaboration. After removal may be applicable to the nonindigenous organisms., and the Conference, President Clinton Rapa whelk invasion in the approaches to managing invasive released an executive order that (I) Chesapeake. The whelk is threateriing species. We are planning to publish requires agency cooperation, (2) shellfish beds and is likely to disperse proceedings from the conference proposes a budget of $28 million to other regions. There were too any .excellent .dollars, and (3) creates an Invasive presentations and posters to Species Council to oversee An area not been fully explored is the summarize all of them and reade;rs a):e implementation of a plan for relative contributions of transfer urged to review abstracts from the coordinated efforts. mechanisms. In addition to ballast conference at

httI2 :1Imass Qay .mit. edYLexoticsI2ecieslindex .h tml Judith Pederson, Ph.D. Conference Chair

The following organis~tions are gratefully acknowledged for their supporLof the Invasive Speci~s Specialist Group:

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research Ltd National Fish and Wildlife Foundation TOTAL Foundation The World Conservation Union Global Environment Facility University of Auckland School of Environmental and Mari!le Sciences

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