Island and Ocean Ecosystems
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has launched a new regional TV campaign to raise awareness on the harmful impacts of invasive species.
This new campaign has a focus on restricting the spread of the Little Fire Ant across the region. It includes an animated TV commercial developed in partnership with The Pasifika Collective which is being broadcast with the support of Australia Plus and will be available for national TV stations across the Pacific islands.
The Little Fire Ant originally came from Central and South America but has started to appear in several islands across the Pacific island region. It is now present on islands in Hawaii, Guam, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia.
Attacking in swarms, the Little Fire Ant has a nasty sting that feels like your skin is on fire and can cause domestic animals such as dogs, cats and pigs to go blind. Once they infest homes and gardens it becomes extremely difficult for families and farmers to tend plantations and grow crops thus impacting on agricultural production.
The campaign calls upon increased efforts across the Pacific island region to stop the further spread of this invasive species as the financial impact of the Little Fire Ant is costly.
“A recent study shows that, in Hawaii alone, greater prevention efforts could save USD5 billion and reduce 2.1 billion sting incidents over 35 years. We need to urgently find more effective ways for our communities to work together to reduce the opportunities for the Little Fire Ant to spread from island to island,” said Mr. David Sheppard, the Director-General of SPREP.
These Little Fire Ants are primarily transported accidentally by people who are transporting plant and waste material. SPREP’s new campaign is thus designed to encourage people to avoid transporting risky plant material between islands and to make sure that all plant material is thoroughly checked and washed.
Mr. Sheppard says the battle to reduce the impact of invasive species like the Little Fire Ant is everyone’s responsibility.
“The Little Fire Ant poses a very serious threat to livelihoods and native species in Pacific Islands and we all need to take preventative actions to stop the spread of the Little Fire Ant before it is too late,” he says.
The “Stop the Little Fire Ant!” television campaign with Australia Plus will run until the end of June. The animated TV Commercial was developed by a Pacific island animator who completed animation training facilitated by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) in 2014. It was produced in partnership with The Pasifika Collective, a New Zealand-based charity which focuses on building professional skills in marketing and education-entertainment approaches across the Pacific Islands region.
The next stage of the campaign will run through to the end of July, involving a competition with special prizes designed to encourage schoolchildren across the region to develop their own innovative local solutions to help prevent the spread of the Little Fire Ant.
The new campaign also encourages people who discover Little Fire Ants to contact national Environment Agencies or to visit SPREP’s websitefor more information including contact phone numbers. Recently completed full and synthesis reports on the Little Fire Ant are also available.
This new campaign has a focus on restricting the spread of the Little Fire Ant across the region. It includes an animated TV commercial developed in partnership with The Pasifika Collective which is being broadcast with the support of Australia Plus and will be available for national TV stations across the Pacific islands.
The Little Fire Ant originally came from Central and South America but has started to appear in several islands across the Pacific island region. It is now present on islands in Hawaii, Guam, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia.
Attacking in swarms, the Little Fire Ant has a nasty sting that feels like your skin is on fire and can cause domestic animals such as dogs, cats and pigs to go blind. Once they infest homes and gardens it becomes extremely difficult for families and farmers to tend plantations and grow crops thus impacting on agricultural production.
The campaign calls upon increased efforts across the Pacific island region to stop the further spread of this invasive species as the financial impact of the Little Fire Ant is costly.
“A recent study shows that, in Hawaii alone, greater prevention efforts could save USD5 billion and reduce 2.1 billion sting incidents over 35 years. We need to urgently find more effective ways for our communities to work together to reduce the opportunities for the Little Fire Ant to spread from island to island,” said Mr. David Sheppard, the Director-General of SPREP.
These Little Fire Ants are primarily transported accidentally by people who are transporting plant and waste material. SPREP’s new campaign is thus designed to encourage people to avoid transporting risky plant material between islands and to make sure that all plant material is thoroughly checked and washed.
Mr. Sheppard says the battle to reduce the impact of invasive species like the Little Fire Ant is everyone’s responsibility.
“The Little Fire Ant poses a very serious threat to livelihoods and native species in Pacific Islands and we all need to take preventative actions to stop the spread of the Little Fire Ant before it is too late,” he says.
The “Stop the Little Fire Ant!” television campaign with Australia Plus will run until the end of June. The animated TV Commercial was developed by a Pacific island animator who completed animation training facilitated by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) in 2014. It was produced in partnership with The Pasifika Collective, a New Zealand-based charity which focuses on building professional skills in marketing and education-entertainment approaches across the Pacific Islands region.
The next stage of the campaign will run through to the end of July, involving a competition with special prizes designed to encourage schoolchildren across the region to develop their own innovative local solutions to help prevent the spread of the Little Fire Ant.
The new campaign also encourages people who discover Little Fire Ants to contact national Environment Agencies or to visit SPREP’s websitefor more information including contact phone numbers. Recently completed full and synthesis reports on the Little Fire Ant are also available.