Introduction

About PII

The Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) is a leading capacity development organisation for invasive species management in the Pacific region.

PII has worked with Pacific agencies (both government and non-government organisations (NGOs)) to strengthen their capacity for managing invasive species since 2004. Building long-term institutional relationships with agencies to empower confidence and encourage self-reliance is an essential component of our capacity development work.

More information on the PII and its work can be found at: www.pacificinvasivesinitiative.org

Purpose of the Resource Kit

Over the previous decades, the eradication of rodents and cats has become an established management tool in the fight against the impacts of invasive species on island biodiversity. Worldwide, there have been reports of 332 successful rodent eradications from 284 islands. In 1925, Stephens Island, New Zealand was the site of the first reported successful eradication of cats from an island. By 2004, 48 successful cat eradications had been reported around the world.

The PII Resource Kit provides project managers with a systematic approach to planning and implementing rodent and cat eradication projects on islands in the Pacific.

The need for the Resource Kit came from PII's experience working on invasive species projects with Pacific agencies. Because invasive species management is a relatively new tool for island restoration in the Pacific, a common constraint for agencies was access to an authoritative and consistent process and a source of information to effectively address the complexity of invasive species management.

To address this need PII, in collaboration with world leading eradication experts, developed a stepwise process and supporting tools to provide project managers with access to current eradication best practice. Use of the Resource Kit will give Pacific agencies the ability to embark on their invasive species management projects with greater confidence of achieving their desired island restoration goals.

Scope of the Resource Kit

The Resource Kit focuses on eradicating rodents and cats from islands in the Pacific. Why rodents and cats? They are the two greatest threats to island biodiversity. Also, experience with eradicating rodents and cats from islands in temperate and sub-Antarctic regions has provided a suite of proven techniques that can be adapted for eradication projects on tropical islands.

The Resource Kit focuses on eradication because, if feasible, eradication is a better long-term solution than control.

The Resource Kit is targeted at eradicating rodents and cats, but the process and many of the supporting tools, can be adapted to the eradication of other invasive species. Likewise, the Resource Kit will be of use to project managers working on islands in regions outside the Pacific.

Eradicating invasive species from islands is not an end in itself, but is rather a tool used to pursue a larger conservation management outcome. Hence, eradication projects are usually undertaken as part of larger conservation plans. While appreciating the wider context, the Resource Kit focuses on supporting project managers being successful in the eradication phase of the plan. It is intended that the implementing agency ensures that the eradication project fits in with their broader conservation plans.

 

How the Resource Kit was developed

The Resource Kit was designed by combining PII's experience working with Pacific agencies with existing eradication best practice. PII have actively involved eradication experts and potential Pacific users throughout the development of the Resource Kit to ensure the content is both accurate and relevant.