Regional effort needed to fight invasive species

Transcript

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme says the economic stakes are high for Pacific countries in the need to invest in addressing invasive species.

The Tonga government recently put 1 point 5 million US dollars towards a regional fight against invasive species, with Palau making a similar commitment.

SPREP's director general, David Sheppard, told Leilani Momoisea that invasive species have large impacts on Pacific economies, and fighting invasives is a big challenge.

DAVID SHEPPARD: We recognised in this region, the impacts are great of the extinctions of species that have happened in the last 200 years in the region probably about 80 percent are due to invasive species. It has major economic impacts so in Guam the Brown Tree Snake - the control costs 10 million dollars per year. In Samoa, about 10 or 15 years ago, the Taro Leaf blight caused a drop of export value from about three million in 1993 to 50,000 the next year. So it is a big challenge - countries can work together but it is much more effective if we work together collaboratively at a regional level and also if we partner with key countries like New Zealand, which has such strong expertise in the management control of invasive species.

LEILANI MOMOISEA: And as you just mentioned in terms of economics - the stakes are high?

DS: The stakes are very high. They are higher particularly in relation to key sectors like agriculture. I mentioned the Taro leaf blight but there are other examples as well. So, countries need to invest. It is an economic issue that UNEP - the United Nations Environment Programme - estimates costs globally 1.4 trillion US dollars - that is about five percent of Global GDP so it is a major issue. In the Pacific, with our challenges of distance and limited capacity, it is important that firstly we work together as a region and secondly that we really get behind and support such strong initiatives such as the work in Tonga.