Rapid Assessment of Reptile and Amphibian Introductions in U.S. Pacific Islands to Improve Biosecurity Procedures
Islands across the tropical Pacific are facing threats from invasive species and other climate stressors, and recent detections of new invasive species highlight gaps in current biosecurity efforts. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will work with local governments, federal agencies, and regional partners to conduct rapid bioassessments, train local biosecurity officers, and produce reports and identification guides that can be used to strengthen biosecurity in these vulnerable island ecosystems.
Project Summary
Islands across the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans are facing ecological collapse from invasive species, coastal flooding from storm surges, and increasingly extreme climatic conditions. While historical surveys from the 1920s through the 1960s provide important historical baselines for some animal communities, most islands and atolls lack sufficient long-term monitoring data to determine whether recent ecosystem changes are caused by invasive species or by other environmental stressors. The Regional Biosecurity Plan (RBP) was developed in 2014 to reduce the spread of invasives, but it has not fully prevented new introductions. Recent detections of wood rats on Wake Atoll, invasive skinks and snails in the Northern Mariana Islands, and greenhouse frogs on Majuro Atoll reveal gaps in biosecurity and raise concerns about the effectiveness of existing prevention measures.
This project will conduct rapid biological surveys of targeted vertebrate species at ports and natural areas across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and territories to detect newly introduced species as early as possible. Scientists will work with local governments and biosecurity officers to review current protocols, clarify management responsibilities across agencies, and provide training in species identification. When new invasive species are detected, physical reference samples (voucher specimens) will be collected and shared with local partners to assess awareness and estimate how long invasions have been underway.
Results will be shared with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to support federal agencies and regional partners in strengthening biosecurity training and planning. Expected products include a report evaluating pathways and gaps that may delay Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR), as well as practical identification guides for native, invasive, and potential “horizon” species (those not yet present but likely to arrive). Together, these tools will help island governments, federal agencies, and regional partners improve biosecurity planning, reduce future ecological damage, and strengthen resilience of highly vulnerable island ecosystems.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 69f3d374b66b013474d980bc)
Islands across the tropical Pacific are facing threats from invasive species and other climate stressors, and recent detections of new invasive species highlight gaps in current biosecurity efforts. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will work with local governments, federal agencies, and regional partners to conduct rapid bioassessments, train local biosecurity officers, and produce reports and identification guides that can be used to strengthen biosecurity in these vulnerable island ecosystems.
Project Summary
Islands across the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans are facing ecological collapse from invasive species, coastal flooding from storm surges, and increasingly extreme climatic conditions. While historical surveys from the 1920s through the 1960s provide important historical baselines for some animal communities, most islands and atolls lack sufficient long-term monitoring data to determine whether recent ecosystem changes are caused by invasive species or by other environmental stressors. The Regional Biosecurity Plan (RBP) was developed in 2014 to reduce the spread of invasives, but it has not fully prevented new introductions. Recent detections of wood rats on Wake Atoll, invasive skinks and snails in the Northern Mariana Islands, and greenhouse frogs on Majuro Atoll reveal gaps in biosecurity and raise concerns about the effectiveness of existing prevention measures.
This project will conduct rapid biological surveys of targeted vertebrate species at ports and natural areas across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and territories to detect newly introduced species as early as possible. Scientists will work with local governments and biosecurity officers to review current protocols, clarify management responsibilities across agencies, and provide training in species identification. When new invasive species are detected, physical reference samples (voucher specimens) will be collected and shared with local partners to assess awareness and estimate how long invasions have been underway.
Results will be shared with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to support federal agencies and regional partners in strengthening biosecurity training and planning. Expected products include a report evaluating pathways and gaps that may delay Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR), as well as practical identification guides for native, invasive, and potential “horizon” species (those not yet present but likely to arrive). Together, these tools will help island governments, federal agencies, and regional partners improve biosecurity planning, reduce future ecological damage, and strengthen resilience of highly vulnerable island ecosystems.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 69f3d374b66b013474d980bc)