RMI Endorses NISSAP to Enhance Effective Management of Invasive Species

9 October 2024 Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands - Invasive species continue to be a costly issue for all countries and particularly for island nations, and with increasing trade and movement of people between countries, the threat of new species arriving is increasing. 

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) recognising this threat and the need for better coordination efforts to battle invasive species have endorsed their National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (NISSAP), which includes an overview of the current situation of invasive species and identifies the process for their management, the document details priority actions necessary to mitigate the impacts of priority invasive species in RMI. 

The development of the NISSAP for RMI is an activity under the GEF 6 Regional Invasives Project (GEF 6 RIP) to strengthen national and regional capacities to reduce the impact of invasive alien species on globally significant biodiversity in the Pacific. 

The GEF 6 RIP is funded by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with assistance from the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Services (PRISMSS).

NISSAP are critical documents to ensure that invasive species management is coordinated within a country or territory and that the different sectors involved with invasive species management work together toward the same goals. 

The Honourable Anthony M Muller, RMI Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce said, “The Ministry, in particular the Division of Quarantine, must attach considerable importance to this action plan, as it will now serve as the principal guide to their planning and operations surrounding invasive species”.

“The NISSAP aims to protect the RMI’s natural resources, environment and communities from the impact of invasive species and seeks to enhance and strengthen cooperation and coordination to combat invasive species by improving public awareness, enhancing capacity for managing and preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species”.

Every country faces a wide range of invasive species causing various degrees of damage, many more than the country can address. Management has concentrated on plant and animal pests of the productive sector in the past and on direct threats to human health, but there has been growing recognition of their impacts on native biodiversity and the environment. A NISSAP can bring people in the different sectors and the wider community together to agree on the priorities.

Secretary of the RMI Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce, Iva Reimers-Roberto commented, “The management of invasive species involves many different organisations, from government departments to non-governmental organisations, farmers, fishermen and women, and island communities and the NISSAP seeks to address this problem by bringing all stakeholders together around an agreed plan of priority actions, with clearly identified responsibilities and timeframes”.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Invasive Species Adviser, Mr. David Moverley commented, “the Marshall Islands include over 1,000 islands and islets, covering a large geographic area which has the largest proportion of water to land ratio of any sovereign state”. 

“The importance of having clear and transparent goals for invasive species management over such a broad area is imperative if resources are to be used effectively and efficiently to address national priorities. Earlier prioritisation has effectively led to many successful invasive species initiatives to reduce the impacts on biodiversity and increase climate and community resilience. This NISSAP provides the map going forward for the next five years”.

Managing invasive species involves many activities, including border control, awareness raising, research, monitoring, eradication, control, and risk assessment and a NISSAP allows appropriate prioritisation of the different elements and the spread of resources across them.

There is always more work to be done than a Pacific Island country can afford with its own resources. An approved NISSAP identifies that a country has been through a prioritisation process involving a full range of stakeholders and that the government has endorsed its findings. A NISSAP can also provide a potential funder a priority list of tasks that require financing and assurance that the country will commit the ‘in-kind’ support needed to achieve successful outcomes.

The RMI Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce will implement the NISSAP in cooperation with key stakeholders, partners and continued technical assistance from SPREP and PRISMSS. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on the GEF 6 Regional Invasives Species Project (GEF 6 RIP), please contact Isabell Rasch, at [email protected]

The RMI NISSAP is now available for download on the Battler Resource Base, at:
Republic of the Marshall Islands National Invasive Species Strategies and Action Plan 2021 - 2029 | Battler Resource Base (sprep.org)

The GEF 6 Regional Invasives Project (RIP) is funded by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme, and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The Project works primarily in the Republic of Marshall Islands, Niue, Tonga, and Tuvalu and has a regional component. Implementation of the GEF 6 RIP is supported by the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Services (PRISMSS). 

For additional information please contact the PRISMSS Communications & Liaison Officer at [email protected]