From Wednesday 7 May through Friday 9 May 2014, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in the collaboration with the Anguilla National Trust facilitated a training workshop on alien invasive species. The workshop is part of a larger European Commission-funded project entitled “Conserving Species and Sites of International Importance by the Eradication of Invasive Alien Species in the Caribbean United Kingdom Overseas Territories.
Invasive alien species (IAS) are considered a serious impediment to the sustainable use of global, regional, and local biodiversity and are known to have devastating negative effects on native wildlife, particularly on small islands, including numerous extinctions, extirpations (local extinctions), and degradation of biodiversity composition. Island species are particularly susceptible to the impacts of IAS, including rats, cats, and mongoose, with 67% of globally threatened bird species occurring on oceanic islands affected.
To better understand the impacts of IAS on Caribbean biodiversity and measures that can be taken to control or remove IAS threats, the training workshop held in Anguilla includes one day of lecture, discussion, and exchange and two days of in-field practical application of IAS eradication approaches and ecosystem monitoring pre- and post-IAS removal.
The workshop is being facilitated by Ms Sophie Thomas and Mr. Lyndon John of the RSPB and Dr. Louise Soanes, Research Associate with the University of Liverpool Natural resource managers from Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, St. Lucia, and Turks and Caicos Islands have joined Anguilla counterparts from the Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Fisheries and Marine Resources, and Public Health as well as the Anguilla National Trust. The Honourable Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for the Environment declared the workshop open, remarking that “As environmental managers and policy-makers, we are all aware of the importance of our islands’ biodiversity: healthy and resilient ecosystems support our economies, our cultures, and our health. We also understand the threat of species extinctions and the collapse of ecosystems is especially strong on islands and we take our responsibility in saving species and habitats – especially at risk – seriously. By removing or at least controlling at least one of these threats – alien invasive species – we are helping the natural environment to reclaim itself.” Noting the importance of the workshop, the Honourable Minister further stated that he hoped that “such knowledge exchanges…will help our islands to tackle this difficult threat and give us renewed energy and focus to continue this undeniably important work.”
For more information about the project or the workshop, individuals are encouraged to contact the Anguilla National Trust at 497 5297 or to visit the ANT office located next the Dental Clinic in The Valley.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
