Mr. Hugo FOUDART leads the development of biosecurity detector canine teams based at the Faa’a International Airport in charge of controlling international and inter-island arrivals via air, as well as a team based at the commercial port in charge of ships, inter-island schooners and private sailboats.
This work has landed him the 2022 Battler of the Year Award, as announced by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) on 16 December 2022.
The efforts aim to strengthen border control under the EDF-funded PROTEGE project to prevent the introduction of species such as red fire ants, fruit flies, and other harmful invasive species such as Citrus tristeza virus, coconut rhinoceros beetle and bee varroosis into French Polynesia

Wallis and Futuna Environmental Service - 2021

The work done by the Wallis and Futuna Environmental Service to combat invasive species, earned them the 2021 Pacific "Battler of the Year" award. This award, recognizes Pacific invasive species field practitioners who have worked and achieved an outstanding result for biodiversity.

The Wallis and Futuna team embodies this and much more. They successfully carried out rat extermination operations on four islets; they removed 30 tall American agave plants and over 1,500 seedlings, and removed over 1,000 m2 of devil's creeper. This work was carried out within the framework of the PROTEGE project financed by the European Union.

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Huggard Tongatule - 2020

Along with managing invasive pigs, Mr Tongatule is also managing high priority weeds, progressing natural enemy solutions for the widespread weed taro vine, and undertaking awareness raising activities.

Mr Tongatule is also about to embark on restoring two large areas of Huvalu Forest in Niue and is undertaking a feasibility assessment to eradicate rats from all of Niue. He is participating in all the aspects of the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Services (PRISMSS)  that are being implemented.

Francis Liyeg – 2019

For well over a decade, Francis has been working on eradicating imperata grass (Imperata cylindrica) and chain of love (Antigonon leptpus) from the State of Yap. In 2019 Francis could declare that the war against these two weeds was over, they have been eradicated from the State of Yap. Constant vigilance and persistence have enabled Francis to reach these milestones, along with hard work and good management of his team.

Tavita Togia – 2018

Tavita has been working on managing the aggressive Falcataria moluccana (Tamaligi) on American Samoa. Over the years he has improved the method of control to increase the efficiency of treating the large and spreading population. Tavita’s workflow is simple, Kill the trees, restore the site with natives plants and reduce germination of further Tamaligi seeds and follow up control before three years to get any saplings before they set seed.

Lisa Fanua - 2017

Lisa Fanua is responsible for managing the rats on Mt. Talau, along with her team of volunteers. This pilot project on managing rats and pigs on Mt. Talau over the past four years is really paying off with eleven pairs of the endemic Tongan whistler and their many chicks very evident at the site. Local communities are also reporting Tongan whistler around their houses, many of these local people have never seen or heard this special bird before. The rare plant Casearia beuelowii, endemic to Mt. Talau has also benefited.