A new milestone is being reached for the Pacific Islands, with the very first Pacific Invasive Species Programme Management course coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS).

Invasive species are the leading driver of biodiversity loss in the Pacific. They impact ecosystem resilience, ecosystem services, and the future ability to adapt to climate change.

Annual surveys, which report on key invasive species management indicators from the SPREP’s Pacific island Members, have continually identified on-the-ground operational action as the major gap in Pacific invasive species management.

This five week course aims to plan to address this gap.

“Whilst the Pacific region has done well in some areas, until actual on-the-ground management is operationalised, the impacts of invasive species on native plants, animals and ecosystems will continue to increase, causing biodiversity and ecosystem loss,” said Mr David Moverley, SPREP Invasive Species Adviser.

“We need to hugely increase the operational management of invasive species throughout the Pacific, and the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS) is the mechanism which will allow us to facilitate this.”

The PRISMSS is a regional mechanism, which facilitates the scaling-up of invasive species management in the Pacific. It introduces five new regional programmes to the Pacific, which will each be technically led by an expert organisation in that respective field. 

Packaging up project management action components into regional programmes offers both a consistent approach and an opportunity for donors to achieve the outcomes they seek whilst benefitting from ongoing activities.

The Invasive Species Programme Management Course which will build capacity in managing an invasive species national programme of work, which encompasses the five regional programmes will be the first initiative of the PRISMSS. 

The course spans Programmes Management, War on Weeds, Natural Enemies Natural Solutions, Protect Our Islands, Predator Free Pacific and Resilient Ecosystems Resilient Communities.  It is targeted towards national invasive species coordinators who need to manage a programme of work. 

“We’re looking forward to the impact this course will bring for our Pacific island Members.  It is the very first course of its kind and the first of a range of activities undertaken through PRISMSS to continue making a difference for our island region,” said Mr Moverley.

“Please do contact us if you would like to know more, or are keen to be a part of this activity that will bring about action against invasives.”

The PRISMSS and the Programme Management Course are established under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) 6 Project titled “Strengthening national and regional capacities to reduce the impact of Invasive Alien Species on globally significant biodiversity in the Pacific” funded by the Global Environment Facility and is being implemented by United Nations Environment and executed by SPREP and partner countries Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. 

For more information please contact PRISMSS at PRISMSS@sprep.org.