The impacts of house mice (Mus musculus), one of four invasive rodent species in New Zealand, are only clearly revealed on islands and fenced sanctuaries without rats and other invasive predators which suppress mouse populations, influence their behaviour, and confound their impacts. When the sole invasive mammal on islands, mice can reach high densities and influence ecosystems in similar ways to rats.
Following the incursion of rats (Rattus rattus) on Taukihepa (Big South Cape Island; 93.9 km²) off southern New Zealand in 1963, and the subsequent extirpation of several endemic species, the New Zealand Wildlife Service realised that, contrary to general belief at the time, introduced predators do not reach a natural balance with native species and that a safe breeding habitat for an increasing number of at risk species was urgently needed.
Rat eradication is a highly effective tool for conserving biodiversity, but one that requires considerable planning eff ort, a high level of precision during implementation and carries no guarantee of success. Overall, rates of success are generally high but lower for tropical islands where most biodiversity is at risk. We completed a qualitative comparative review on four successful and four unsuccessful tropical rat eradication projects to better understand the factors influencing the success of tropical rat eradications and shed light on how the risk of future failures can be minimised.
The Baja California Pacifc Islands, Mexico, are globally important breeding sites for 22 seabird species and subspecies. In the past, several populations were extirpated or reduced due to invasive mammals, human disturbance, and contaminants. Over the past two decades, we have removed invasive predators and, for the last decade, we have been implementing a Seabird Restoration Programme on eight groups of islands: Coronado, Todos Santos, San Martín, San Jerónimo, San Benito, Natividad, San Roque, and Asunción.
Considerable bene?ts can be achieved for indigenous biodiversity when invasive vertebrates are removed from islands. In New Zealand, two logistically challenging eradications were undertaken, one to remove cats (Felis catus) and the other Paci?c rats (Rattus exulans) from Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island (Hauturu). Here we document the short- and long-term impacts of these interventions on the biodiversity of Hauturu. We also assess the extent to which predicted outcomes were re?ected in the measured responses for a wide range of species.
Who are we? UN Environments specialist biodiversity assessment centre, based in Cambridge, UK
Available online|Powerpoint presentation
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 16 p
To formally launch the second phase of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme, a regional inception workshop for the Pacific was held at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel, Apia, Samoa from 11th to 15th June 2018. The aim of the inception workshop was to ensure that all 15 countries in the Pacific ACP Group of States were engaged for the second phase of BIOPAMA. The working title of the workshop was Regional Workshop on Improving Information and Capacity for More Effective Protected Area Management and Governance in the Pacific.
The Pacific region has benefited from a number of regional and national programmes to both assess the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and develop programmes to adapt to climate change. Such programmes are critical considering that the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1/ states that the Pacific region has already experienced temperature increases of as much as 1°C since 1910.
Climate change is a major threat to global biodiversity. From the tropics to the Poles, the worlds ecosystems are all under pressure. A study published in the scientific journal Nature posited that 15 to 37% of terrestrial animal and plant species could be at risk of extinction because of human-induced impacts on climate (Thomas et al., 2004). Scattered across the four corners of the Earth, European Union overseas entities, are home to a biological diversity that is as rich as it is vulnerable.
Tongas marine ecosystems are worth at least TOP 47 million per year, exceeding the countrys total export value. We are strongly committed to sustaining these values to build an equitable and prosperous blue economy.
Available online
Call Number: [EL],363.94 MAR
ISBN/ISSN: 978 82 7701 174 5
Physical Description: 84 p
The Regional Seas programme of UNEP commenced in 1974 and since that time
considerable advances have been made in the development of regional action plans and
conventions for the protection of the marine and coastal areas of some eleven regions world-
wide. Following these developments UNEP has encouraged inter-regional co-operation in
addressing various issues of environmental concern through the organisation of international
meetings and inter-regional symposia. This volume contains the record of one such symposium,
"The impacts of the 1997-1998 El Nino are
fresh in our minds, and the latest reports from
the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) confirm tvhat all of you
already know changes in climate matter to
individuals, communities, businesses and
governments who call islands home. Your
valuable natural resources, traditional ways of
life, critical economic sectors, community support
infrastructure, atid, to a great extent, your
future, depend on developing an effective
The tropical seas are liberally sprinkled with coral islands.
Many of them are associated with continents and large continental islands, in relatively shallow water, rising from continental shelves. Many, also, are in deep water - atolls, barrier reef islets round high islands, almost atolls', tops of drowned karsts, and a few moderately elevated atolls. These last are among the most fascinating of all, scientifically.
An article taken from the Atoll Research Bulletin No.272|Kept at Greg's collection|Available online
Call Number: VF 1564 [EL}
Pesticides as covered in the project include acaricides,
biological pesticides (bacteria, viruses), defoliants,
dessicants, fumigants, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides,
molluscicides, nematicides, rodenticides and synergists.
Pesticides included are those used in plant protection, in
animal health (products for external use only), in human
health programmes and for urban pest control.
The main topographical features of Samoa are rugged mountains of volcanic origin, surrounded by flat and rolling coastal plains. All the islands of Samoa were formed by volcanic activity. Savai'i is regarded as still volcanically active with its most recent eruption producing lava flows between 1905 and 1911. A large percentage of Samoan soils are porous, shallow and clay in texture.
Also available online|A PICCAP-GEF funded project
Call Number: 551.6 UNI [EL],302.2 GOV,VF 2682,INT-CON
Physical Description: xi, 50 p. ; 29 cm
There is a high level of uncertainty with the specific estimation of pollutant loads. A large body of work has
been completed that provided qualitative and quantitative data; however, the noting of data gaps and inherent uncertainties of the methods used have qualified much of the quantitative data. Much of the data are based on rapid assessment methods that utilise generic loading rates, assumed waste flow composition, typical production methods, local production rates. Unfortunately, production rate data are inconsistently available and are difficult to verify.
Recognising the problems of information management and the use of data as a resource many countries of the SPC region have expressed the desire for some form of integrated network to handle information and data relating to the resources and
environment of the Region. Accordingly SPREP commissioned this review of the current situaiton with regard to handling, storage and evaluation of such data in the countries of the region.
Call Number: 333.7 [EL]
The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply
the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country,
territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
A contribution to the global invasive species programme
Call Number: 628.16 CLA [EL],SPE
ISBN/ISSN: 2-8317-0548-7
Physical Description: xvi, 138 p. ; 29 cm
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the
expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the World Meteorological
Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
2 copies
Call Number: 551.632 PAC
Physical Description: various pagings
Nauru is a single raised coral island
with a total land area of 21 sq km.
Despite its small land area, Nauru has
an EEZ that extends over more than
320 000 sq km. Its maximum height
above sea level is approximately 70 m.
Kept in vertical file collection|Also available electronically
Call Number: VF 4339 [EL]
Physical Description: 11 p. ; 29 cm