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A trailer of the documentary that captures how the people of Niue are strengthening their climate resilience by partnering with the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS) to scale up efforts against invasive species.

“Restoring the Rock” is a 30-minute documentary that captures how the people of Niue are strengthening their climate resilience by partnering with the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS) to scale up efforts against invasive species. First premiered on a global scale at the COP30 in Belém, Brazil, within the SPREP Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, this inspiring film highlights Niue’s community-driven approach to protecting ecosystems and restoring coral reefs. Serving as a compelling storytelling platform, it showcases Niue’s leadership in invasive species management as a model for Pacific island nations committed to safeguarding biodiversity and building resilience.

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the documentary "Restoring the Rock" showcased Niue’s inspiring journey to build stronger island resilience through invasive species management. Now, hear directly from our panellists as they share why this work matters—protecting biodiversity, safeguarding ecosystems, and creating a more resilient future for Niue. Have a listen to what panellists had to say about why this matters for nature, for communities and for island resilience. Watch their insights in this short video and discover the value of PRISMSS and community-led action in restoring the rock and strengthening island resilience.

This plan was prepared for the Niue Department of Environment by Pacific Biosecurity. Supported by the GEF 6 Regional Invasives Project (GEF 6 RIP) - Strengthening national and regional capacities to reduce the impact of Invasive Alien Species on globally significant biodiversity in the Pacific.

Recent field surveys of the flora of Niue have identified three new species records for the island. Erigeron bellioides DC. (Asteraceae) and Psidium cattleyanum Sabine (Myrtaceae) are new naturalised records and Crepidomanes saxifragoides (C.Presl) P.S.Green (Hymenophyllaceae) is an addition to the indigenous flora.

The Pacific Island nations of Niue and Tonga are leading global efforts to expand the management of invasive species at a large-landscape scale and increase the resilience of their ecosystems and communities to the impacts of climate change. Niue’s Environment Minister, Hon. Mona Ainuu, recently made an ambitious pledge for the country to control four priority invasive species by 2030, including Taro Vine, rats, feral pigs, and the coral eating Drupella snail. This work will help to enhance Niue’s premium ecotourism brand and directly support the provision of green jobs. Tonga has also pledged to expand the management of priority invasive species at a large-landscape scale following the successful eradication of rats from Late Island, the largest eradication ever undertaken in the Pacific Islands region. Studies have shown that, once rats are removed, the nutrients from returning seabird populations restore the climate resilience of coral reefs and increase the productivity of fish stocks by up to 50%. Tonga’s plans to scale-up the management of priority invasive species will help expand its national park system, provide refugia for 95% of the country’s biodiversity, and directly increase the climate resilience of its ecosystems and communities.

The Pacific Island nations of Niue and Tonga are leading global efforts to expand the management of invasive species at a large-landscape scale and increase the resilience of their ecosystems and communities to the impacts of climate change. Niue’s Environment Minister, Hon. Mona Ainuu, recently made an ambitious pledge for the country to control four priority invasive species by 2030, including Taro Vine, rats, feral pigs, and the coral eating Drupella snail. This work will help to enhance Niue’s premium ecotourism brand and directly support the provision of green jobs. Tonga has also pledged to expand the management of priority invasive species at a large-landscape scale following the successful eradication of rats from Late Island, the largest eradication ever undertaken in the Pacific Islands region. Studies have shown that, once rats are removed, the nutrients from returning seabird populations restore the climate resilience of coral reefs and increase the productivity of fish stocks by up to 50%. Tonga’s plans to scale-up the management of priority invasive species will help expand its national park system, provide refugia for 95% of the country’s biodiversity, and directly increase the climate resilience of its ecosystems and communities.

Niue's Minsiter of Natural Resources, Mona Ainuu pledges to work with SPREP and PRISMSS to recognize and scale up the management of invasive species.

The GEF 6 RIP project has supported Niue in its mission to be the first island nation in the world to control invasive species at a national level by 2030. This includes the eradication of feral pigs as they are impact heavily on food security by destroying the environment, forage the forest floor and eat alot of the seedlings. The lack of resourcing, capability and capacity on the island has been alleviated because of the support from GEF 6

The small uninhabited island of Monuriki (40.4 ha) in western Fiji is of national and international conservation concern for its several protected species. Exotic invasive species and a Category 5 cyclone have exacerbated conservation challenges. The cooperation of local, national, and international stakeholders continues to be crucial in restoration of the island’s native ?ora and fauna. This summary presents a timeline of restoration efforts and current status of the recovery programme for Monuriki. The critically endangered dry forest habitat of Fiji is only found in a few isolated patches on disparate islands. The Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus cf. vitiensis) is a critically endangered species restricted to a few small islands in this dry forest zone of western Fiji. The population of crested iguanas on Monuriki Island is the third largest remaining population. Even before iguanas were ?rst documented on the island in the early 1980s, individuals had been removed by local resorts for display purposes, a practice that was previously unregulated. In the late 1990s, the ?rst efforts to conserve and restore Monuriki Island were discussed, but conservation initiatives were not implemented until the development of the Crested Iguana Recovery Plan in 2008. In 2011, domestic goats (Capra hircus) and non-native rats (Rattus exulans) were removed from the island, and 10 pairs of iguanas were brought into captive breeding facilities within Fiji. In 2015, the ?rst 32 captive-bred crested iguanas were released back on Monuriki Island. More than half of these iguanas (N=26) were radio-tracked for 56 days post-release in order to assess survivorship and help provide insights into their short-term movement patterns. Of the 26 iguanas that were tracked, nearly 70% (N=18) were found after 56 days indicating excellent short-term survival. In February 2016, Tropical Cyclone Winston, a Category 5 storm passed through Fiji and devastated some of the tropical dry forest habitat on Monuriki. With sustained winds of up to 230 km/ hr nearly all of the canopy leaves from trees on Monuriki Island were removed and large amounts of debris covered the forest ?oor. Following the cyclone, a brief wildlife survey revealed Monuriki’s iguana and bird populations were still present. In 2017, the crested iguana captive breeding programme was brought to an end when 16 of the original 20 iguana founders, and an additional 32 captive bred o? spring, were reintroduced onto Monuriki. This was accomplished, in part, due to successful breeding and reestablishment of the remaining wild iguanas on the island. Despite a major storm event, reestablishment likely resulted from reduced egg and hatchling predation by the rats, and excellent habitat recovery after goat removal. Overall these invasive species eradications have proven highly successful for the recovery of the iguanas, wedge-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus paci?cus), and several other non-target species including the banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis) and endangered Fijian peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Furthermore, eradication of non-native species has also helped the recovery of the highly threatened tropical dry forest ecosystem in which these species exist.