Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission ALIENS Number 16 2002 SPECIAL ISSUE ON COMMUNITY INITIATIVES AND AWARENESS BUILDING 2nd Annual Invasive Weed Clean up in the Republic of Palau The Republic of Palau is a small island nation with a population of about 20,000. Palau is the westernmost archipelago in the Pacific and is made up of over 500 islands. The Palau Natural Resources Council began in 2001 and its main function is to provide for proper coordination and cooperation among all private, government, and non-government agencies, individuals and organizations involved in managing land-based natural resources. Invasive species issues are one of the main areas the Council focuses its efforts. The Council’s vision statement is: “People working together to ensure the use and management of Palau’s natural resources is in harmony with the environment and culture.” The mission statement is: “The council shall provide leadership for the wise use and sustainable management of Palau’s (land-based) natural resources using appropriate technology. To accomplish its mission the council shall cooperate and coordinate with other organizations, agencies, groups and individuals.” The Palau Natural Resource Council’s (PNRC) Invasive Weed Committee organized the second annual invasive weed clean-up day, which took place on Saturday, November 2, 2002 in the country’s capital—Koror. The clean-up day was a success as over fifty volunteers participated. The project, which targeted the general public, was the last activity of a six-week effort focused on one of the worst invasive weeds in the Pacific, Mikania micrantha (mile-a-minute weed or “teb el yas”). This particular weed was introduced fairly recently with the first sightings of it in 1993. During the beginning of the clean-up effort it was found in about twenty sites in Koror and one site in Airai on the island of Babeldaob. There are now new infested sites that have been found in at least 5 other areas and most recently on the island of Peleliu. Sponsored by: These are currently being targeted for control and eventual eradication. In Samoa, farms have been abandoned and whole hillsides taken over by this very aggressive weed, but because it is found only in a few places in Palau there is still hope in eradicating it. Ace Hardware sponsored the printing of t-shirts for the clean-up day with a map of the infested sites found in Koror and line drawings of the weed encircling the map to help people identify it correctly. This map developed by the Office of the Palau Automated Land and Resource Information System (PALARIS), Palau’s national GIS, is one of several GIS projects created to assist in effectively monitoring and managing some of the Republic’s high priority invasive plant species. These t-shirts were distributed to Manaaki Whenua volunteers and now serve as “living billboards” to continue increasing Landcare Research awareness about this particular invasion and invasive species in general. continued on page 27 ISSN: 1173-5988 CONTENTS Weed Clean up in Palau 1 RAMSAR COP8 15 Message from the Chair 2 GISP Secretariat launched 17 From the Editor 3 General Disclaimer 17 Aquaria Projects in the US 3 Legal Tools at State Level (US) 18 Aliens in your Fish Bowl? 4 Fading Forests 18 Aquatic Weeds 4 GAO Report (US) 19 Weedbuster Week in Australia 5 Various Reports (NZ) 19 Weedbusters 5 Report of the Controller and Auditor-General (NZ) 19 Weed Warriors 5 American Samoa’s ASSIST 20 Spanish booklet on IAS for children 6 Brown Tree Snake Awareness 20 Schools Using Tracking Tunnels 7 Community Based Control in the Seychelles 21 IAS for Kids in NZ 7 Galapagos Islands Community Participation 21 Trading Cards (Hawai’i) 8 Landscape Industry Against IAS (Hawai’i) 22 Play on IAS (Hawai’i) 8 Community Groups (Hawai’i) 22 Aliens-L 9 US Union of Concerned Scientists 23 PestNet 9 Importers Targeted for Awareness (NZ) 24 TNC List Server 9 Union Concerns for IAS (NZ) 24 Rats and Rubbervines 10 Alternatives for Gardeners (NZ) 24 Environmental Weeds (Australia) 10 Western Australian Weeds 25 Mediterranean Marine IAS 11 Invasive Species Council Formed (Australia) 25 IAS in African Wetlands 11 Island Vertebrate IAS (Spain, Portugal) 26 Eradication Conference Proceedings 11 Italian Publication 26 Prioritising Islands for Eradications 12 Weed Ecology 27 Red-vented Bulbul in Micronesia 13 Subscriptions to Aliens 27 13th Australian Weed Conference 15 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR management that can then be adapted and used in other regions. It will also be building capacity for countries to It has been a busy time again, as invasive alien species (IAS) manage invasive species and sharing knowledge, skills and issues are receiving more attention in a variety of places. For techniques internationally. The emphasis is very much on example, the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress, in Durban ‘learning by doing’. A workshop was held on the University (South Africa) in September 2003 will have a one-day of Auckland campus 2 – 4 April 2003 as part of the planning workshop on IAS. Geoffrey Howard from the IUCN East process. Workshop participants came from several Pacific African Office and Maj De Poorter from the ISSG office are Island countries and regional organisations, including the both involved in the planning for this. If you wish to be kept Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the South updated, or would like to know more on how you could get Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as well involved in this, please contact the ISSG office. as New Zealand participants from the above mentioned Partners as well as from Landcare and the National Institute In 2002, the Parties to the Convention on Biological of Water and Atmosphere. Diversity endorsed the “Cooperative Initiative on Invasive Alien Species on Islands.” The initiative was developed by Mick Clout New Zealand, ISSG and the Global Invasive Species ISSG chair Programme. This has now been taken up as a Type II partnership initiative - an outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development linking ISSG , IUCN, New Zealand Department of Conservation and others with NZAID. This “Islands Initiative” has the goal of conserving island biodiversity by building capacity to manage invasive alien species on islands. With funding from NZAID, the first phase of this ambitious 5-year programme will concentrate on activities in Pacific Island countries. These activities include developing and applying better techniques for 2 MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR and public health consequences associated with NIS, and to provide people with the knowledge to make better decisions The present issue of Aliens focuses on activities that are regarding their daily activities that may include potential initiated by, or otherwise involve, communities. Examples NIS introductions. Other key educational messages include from various countries include a range of initiatives, from the importance of biodiversity and the difference between awareness raising to practical hands-on projects, and the native and non-native species. For exhibit pictures and more people involved range from schoolkids to agencies and information, please see the “Alien Invaders!” exhibit website at academics, and from artists to unions. The aim of this focus http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/news/aliens.html#support. is to give some acknowledgement to big and small "champions" in the fight against invasive alien species, but The Hatfield Marine Science Center exhibit, entitled even more so, to encourage others by showing that success “Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers”, aims to help visitors can be achieved. While legislative changes and procedural learn how aquatic invasive species (AIS) enter and affect changes may take time to be put into place, the projects new environments, the factors that influence an invader’s reported on show that there are many ways in which action “success”, and how each person can prevent future can be taken right now and we hope it will be a source of invasions. Final design was completed in 2002, and efforts inspiration. are underway to prototype components and secure fabrication funds. The exhibit contains four major The next issue of Aliens will focus on IAS in protected components: “Close Encounters”, which introduces general areas, and we hope for many contributions (contact concepts and features live aquarium displays of local non- [email protected]), covering large official parks, native plants and animals; “Don’t Rock The Boat”, which small community areas, indigenous approaches, and addresses the role of ships and ballast water in AIS anything in between. introductions; “Invasion Investigation”, which includes the “Wheel of Misfortune” and other hands-on opportunities for Maj De Poorter visitors to explore the traits and introduction pathways of infamous marine invaders; and “Coming to Grips”, which covers management of invasive species. Once built, the INVADERS ON DISPLAY; NON- exhibition will be enhanced by programs on aquatic invasive INDIGENOUS AQUATIC SPECIES EXHIBIT species. PROJECTS AT TWO AQUARIA IN These projects were truly collaborative efforts between WASHINGTON STATE AND OREGON, university faculty and students, state and federal agencies, UNITED STATES aquarium staff, and exhibit designers. The diversity of voices and talents that contributed to this project resulted in The United States Pacific Northwest Marine Invasive consistent, scientifically accurate, and appealing educational Species Team (MIST), a partnership between the Oregon exhibits that could not have been possible otherwise. We and Washington Sea Grant programs and the University of hope and anticipate that successful educational results from Washington, Tacoma, created an educational exhibit about NIS exhibits at these two Pacific Northwest venues will lead non-indigenous species (NIS) at the Point Defiance to expansion and replication at many more facilities on a Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Plans to create another national or international scale.