Benefits of Eradication
The benefits of eradicating invasive species from islands are more than just improvements to biodiversity; their eradication can also have significant economic and health benefits.
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Economic
The people of Viwa Island, Fiji, consider Pacific rats to be a major pest
as they eat crops and stored foodstuffs. It is reported that up to 50% of crops are lost to rats. This was the incentive for an eradication project in 2006. (Photo: Rob Chappell)
Rodents cause severe losses to livelihoods, food security and economies on islands. Rats eat up to 10% of their body weight each day, equivalent to 9 to 18 kg of matter per animal per year. They significantly reduce production of important food and cash crops such as taro, cassava, coconuts, cocoa and papaya.
They also contaminate people's food stores with urine and faeces.
By increasing crop yields, eradication of invasive species can have a major benefit to the economies of Pacific islands.
- Health
The presence of rodents can have a serious impact on population health. For example, rodents spread the bacteria that cause Leptospirosis, a potentially fatal condition that is characterised by meningitis, liver damage (causing jaundice), and renal failure.
Summary of incidence of Leptospirosis in the Pacific region. Adapted from Vitoriano et al. (2009):
| Annual incidence by 100,000 people | Country |
|---|---|
| High (>10) | Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna |
| Moderate (1 to 10) | American Samoa, Palau, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu |
| Low (<1) | |
| Insufficient information | Papua New Guinea, Western Pacific Islands not mentioned above |