Prevention and Management of Invasive Alien Species: Proceedings of a Workshop on Forging Cooperation throughout the Austral-Pacific, 15-17 October, 2002, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii

The Austral-Pacific region has numerous characteristics that make regional coordination on invasive alien species issues particularly important. For example, 98% of its 30 million km2 is ocean; the remaining 2% contains 7500 islands, of which just 500 are inhabited. Many islands in the three subregions - Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia - are small and widely scattered. Whereas the ocean once provided a natural barrier against the spread of pests and diseases, the rapid expansion of trade, travel, and transport now make the region particularly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of IAS. Furthermore, Pacific islands share trading routes, partnerships, and regional infrastructure which can increase opportunities for the introduction of IAS. The inhabitants of the Austral-Pacific region, therefore, have a mutual interest in preventing and managing IAS at the point of export and import.