28 March 2025, Apia, Samoa- Regional cooperation is crucial for addressing invasive species in the Pacific, as effective biosecurity measures, combined with early detection and rapid response, can significantly reduce the risks and costs associated with new invasions.
In the Pacific where marine biodiversity is both abundant and unique, invasive species pose a serious threat to the delicate balance of these ecosystems and managing marine invasive species is essential for protecting marine areas, as these species can disrupt ecosystems, outcompete native species, and cause considerable ecological and economic harm.
However, there is a significant data gap regarding the status and effective management of marine invasive species in the Pacific region, as is the case globally. The 2017 implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention mandates vessel retrofitting and the adoption of safe ballast water practices to prevent the spread of marine invasive species.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Invasive Species Team works towards the goal of "Pacific people benefit from healthy and resilient island and ocean ecosystems" with the primary objective to significantly reduce the socio-economic and ecological impact of invasive species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate priority species.
The Pacific region has identified several priority thematic areas for managing invasive species which are crucial for protecting biodiversity, ecosystems and the livelihoods of local communities. In response to the need for enhanced marine area protection, the SPREP led, Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS) has launched the Protect Our Marine Areas(POMA) programme, in addition to five other ongoing PRISMSS programmes.
PRISMSS is a regional support service designed to facilitate the scaling up of operational management of invasive species in the Pacific and brings together experts to provide support within the Pacific region with a focus on protection of indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem function.
PRISMSS partners and donors expressed excitement as New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) became the newest PRISMSS Partner and the Technical Lead for the PRISMSS POMA programme.
NIWA’s mandated research priorities include enhancing the economic value and sustainable management of aquatic resources and environments to provide understanding of climate and the atmosphere, increase resilience to climate hazards and conduct research across a broad range of disciplines in the environment sciences.
With a long history of working in the Pacific region, NIWA has significantly contributed towards marine biosecurity by facilitating trainings to build capability in marine biosecurity, development of tools for risk assessment, surveillance and control of marine pests, support with identification of species and conducting marine surveys to identify marine invasions.
The new POMA programme Technical Lead has extensive experience in the design and operational management of biosecurity responses to incursions by invasive marine species and in developing innovative approaches to support marine invasive species management efforts in the region.
SPREP Invasive Species Adviser, Mr David Moverley commented, “the POMA programme is the result of building a track record with our new partner, NIWA, including the development of the Pacific Marine Invasive Toolkit and the pilot marine invasive species activity carried out in Tuvalu under the GEF6 project in 2024.”
“This new programme will focus on preventing the spread of marine invasive species to priority marine areas from high-risk areas and is in response to this need being articulated from within the region and from donors”.
“The need for a marine focused programme was officially identified as far back as 2015 along with the existing PRISMSS programmes when the Invasive Species Team began collecting the Pacific Invasive Species Indicators (PISI) and identifying national and regional gaps in capability.”
The first POMA programme activity will be delivered in Vavaú, Tonga, a site that has long been identified as high risk, from visiting international and domestic boats and a site that comprises many high priority marine areas for ecological, community and aquaculture assets.
Vava’u has existing initiatives on Special Marine Areas (SMA), that aim to promote sustainable marine resource management and enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems and is in the process of classification of high value sites. The PRISMSS POMA programme is well suited to support and enhance ongoing efforts through capacity building, identification support and innovation.
During a recent scoping mission to Tonga preliminary discussions on the PRISMSS POMA programme enabled the identification of sites to be part of the programme activities. The sites were selected as they include high biodiversity sites, fisheries priorities which have a stronger focus on aquaculture and community sites that are already part of community managed SMA and have a stronger focus community.
SPREP will commence engagement with NIWA for the PRISMSS POMA programme to initiate programming planning with relevant ministries for activities on proposed sites in high-risk areas and priority marine areas in Vava’u.
The PRISMSS Restoring Island Resilience project is currently supporting the implementation of two programmes in Tonga, the PRISMSS Predator Free Pacific (PFP) programme with a focus on the eradication of invasive mammals from islands and the PRISMSS Natural Enemies – Natural Solutions (NENS) invasive weed management programme.
In addition, The Government of Tonga, with funding from the Global Environment Facility's Regional Invasives Project (GEF6 RIP), continues to strengthen its commitment to ecological restoration, having a total of three restoration sites within the PRISMSS Resilient Ecosystems, Resilient Communities (RERC) programme.
The PRISMSS team will over the next 18 months focus on developing key documentation and knowledge assets required for building capacity and monitoring the progress of the new programme, along with delivering the first service activity in Vava’u.
By protecting marine areas from invasive species, the PRISMSS POMA programme will help preserve the natural habitats that support local fisheries, tourism, and cultural practices, ensuring the sustainability and resilience of these communities in Pacific island countries and territories.
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About PRISMSS: The Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS) is a coordinating mechanism designed to facilitate the scaling up of operational management of invasive species in the Pacific. PRISMSS brings together experts to provide support within the Pacific region with a focus on protection of indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem function. As a service provider, PRISMSS provides a comprehensive suite of support services in a cohesive, effective, efficient, and accessible manner to Pacific Island countries and territories.
Restoring Island Resilience (RIR): The PRISMSS - Restoring Island Resilience (RIR) is a New Zealand-PRISMSS collaboration project that aims to improve Pacific Island Countries and territories livelihoods and resilience to climate change by reducing the impact of invasive species on natural and agricultural ecosystems through the six PRISMSS programmes.
PRISMSS Powered by: New Zealand Foreign Affairs & Trade, UK International Development, GEF, UNEP & SPREP
PRISMSS Partners: Birdlife International, NZ Department of Conservation, Island Conservation, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Pacific Community and SPREP
For additional information please contact Mr Dominic Sadler, PRISMSS Manager on dominics@sprep.org or Mr Nitish Narayan, PRISMSS Communications & Liaison Officer on nitishn@sprep.org