Search the SPREP Catalogue

A non-native introduced population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) was targeted for removal from Desecheo Island (117 ha), Puerto Rico. Macaques were introduced in 1966 and contributed to several plant and animal extirpations. Since their release, three eradication campaigns were unsuccessful at removing the population; a fourth campaign that addressed potential causes for previous failures was declared successful in 2017. Key attributes that led to the success of this campaign included a robust partnership, adequate funding, and skilled ?eld sta? with a strong eradication ethic that followed a plan based on eradication theory. Furthermore, the incorporation of modern technology including strategic use of remote camera traps, monitoring of radio-collared Judas animals, night hunting with night vision and thermal ri?e scopes, and the use of high-power semi-automatic ? rearms made eradication feasible due to an increase in the probability of detection and likelihood of removal. Precision shooting and trapping were the primary methods used throughout the campaign. Long-term monitoring using camera traps and observed sign guided a management strategy that adapted over time in response to population density and structure. Lessons learnt include, 1) macaques quickly adjusted their behaviour in response to human presence and removal methods, 2) camera traps and thermal scopes provided high detection likelihood compared to other methods, and 3) the use of Judas animals and night hunting with thermal and night vision ri?e-scopes facilitated removals. The removal of macaques from Desecheo Island appears to be the ?rst introduced non-hominid primate eradication from an island.

Invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) were successfully eradicated during 2012 from Pinzon Island in the Galapagos archipelago using the rodenticide brodifacoum. Potential exposure to brodifacoum in Pinzon tortoises (Chelonoidis ephippium), Pinzon lava lizards (Microlophus duncanensis) and Galapagos hawks (Buteo galapagoensis) was mitigated by captive holding of subpopulations. This was successful for all species during and shortly after baiting, however mortality of Galapagos hawks occurred post-release, likely due to the persistence of residual brodifacoum in lava lizards. Since 2013, Pinzon tortoise hatchlings are surviving in-situ for the fi rst time in at least 120 years and the eradication of black rats is expected to have significant benefits for at least 15 other island-endemic species.

Invasive rodents have significant negative impacts on island biodiversity. All but the smallest of rodent eradications currently rely on island-wide rodenticide applications. Although significant advances have been made in mitigating unintended impacts, rodent eradication on inhabited islands remains extremely challenging. Current tools restrict eradication efforts to fewer than 15% of islands with critically endangered or endangered species threatened by invasive rodents. The Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration to develop and evaluate gene drive technology for eradicating invasive rodent populations on islands. Technological approaches currently being investigated include the production of multiple strains of Mus musculus with a modified form of the native t-complex, or a CRISPR gene drive, carrying genes or mechanisms that determine sex. These systems have the potential to skew the sex ratio of off spring to approach 100% single-sex, which could result in population collapse. One goal proposed is to test the ability of constructs to spread and increase in frequency in M. musculus populations in biosecure, captive settings and undertake modelling to inform development and potential deployment of these systems. Structured ecologically-based risk assessments are proposed, along with social and cultural engagement to assess the acceptability of releasing a gene drive system. Work will be guided by an external ethics advisory board. Partners are from three countries with significant regulatory capacity (USA, Australia, New Zealand). Thus, we will seek data sharing agreements so that results from experiments may be used within all three countries and treat regulatory requirements as a minimum. Species-specific, scalable, and socially acceptable new eradication tools could produce substantial biodiversity benefits not possible with current technologies. Gene drive innovation may provide such a tool for invasive species management and be potentially transformative and worthy of exploring in an inclusive, responsible, and ethical manner.

Eradication of invasive rodents has become a powerful tool to protect native island biota. Use of brodifacoum, an anticoagulant rodenticide, has contributed to hundreds of successful invasive rodent eradication e?orts on islands. Application of bait containing brodifacoum for this purpose requires appropriate consideration of adverse e?ects on non-target wildlife. Thus, a priori identi?cation of non-target risks and, where needed, approaches to mitigate these to acceptable levels, is now an essential component of eradication planning and implementation. As part of the plan for eradicating invasive rats and mice from Floreana Island in the Galapagos, we experimentally tested the e?ect of brodifacoum on the Galapagos endemic land snail species Naesiotus unifasciatus. Importantly, the trials were designed to evaluate e?ects of particular components of the bait pellets, namely the active brodifacoum, the pyranine biomarker, and a blue dye. We found no evidence for increased snail mortality following exposure to any of these bait components. We review results of past toxicity studies on terrestrial molluscs and ?nd that, as for our own study, there is likely to be little impact of anticoagulant rodenticide on terrestrial mollusc survival as the result of application of brodifacoum bait. However, given the limited taxonomic representation in the toxicity tests performed on terrestrial molluscs so far, we recommend the continued used of captive toxicity trials to assess potential e?ect of any rodenticide applications on native malacological fauna on a case-by-case basis where large-scale eradication programmes are planned and undertaken.

Asian Development Bank member fact sheet. ADB assistance to Samoa supports improvements in the delivery of basic social services, and provision of safer and more efficient road and maritime transportation, better internet connectivity, and effective disaster relief.

Economic growth and investment in infrastructure go hand in hand. A growing economy needs constantly improved infrastructure to ensure that the production and exchange of goods and services happens as smoothly and efficiently as possible

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development places gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the heart of its implementation with its promise to “leave no one behind”.

A rapidly growing population, poor human development indicators, and climate change risk exposure demand a public investment policy that is effective so as to ensure the sustainable growth and development of the Solomon Islands

This handbook serves as a guide to the applications, technologies, business models, and regulations that should be considered when evaluating the feasibility of a battery energy storage system (BESS) project.

The Asia and Pacific region is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Unabated warming could significantly undo previous achievements of economic development and improvements of living standards. At the same time, the region has both the economic capacity and weight of influence to change the present fossil-fuel based development pathway and curb global emissions. This report sheds light on the regional implications of the latest projections of changes in climate conditions over Asia and the Pacific. The assessment concludes that, even under the Paris consensus scenario in which global warming is limited to 1.5°C to 2°C above preindustrial levels, some of the land area, ecosystems, and socioeconomic sectors will be significantly affected by climate change impacts, to which policy makers and the investment community need to adapt to. However, under a Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario, which will cause a global mean temperature rise of over 4°C by the end of this century, the possibilities for adaptation are drastically reduced. Among others, climate change impacts such as the deterioration of the Asian “water towers”, prolonged heat waves, coastal sea-level rise and changes in rainfall patterns could disrupt ecosystem services and lead to severe effects on livelihoods which in turn would affect human health, migration dynamics and the potential for conflicts. This assessment also underlines that, for many areas vital to the region’s economy, research on the effects of climate change is still lacking.