Woody Invasive Species: A Regional Assessment - IUCN Invasive ...

Mauremootoo & Boudjelas Work of IUCN in IAS Management
The Work of the IUCN in Invasive Species Management
John Mauremootoo 1 & Souad Boudjelas 2
1 Plant Conservation Manager, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Grannum Road,
Vacoas, Mauritius; Tel: (230) 697 6097; Fax: (230) 697 6512; email:
cjmaure@intnet.mu.
2 Invasive Species Specialist Group (IUCN), Auckland University (Tamaki
Campus), New Zealand; Tel: (64) 9 3737 599; Fax: (64) 9 3737 599; email:
s.boudjelas@auckland.ac.nz
Abstract
This presentation sets the scene for the workshop to come. The initial section deals with
the following topics: The overall goals of the workshop; the issue of Invasive Alien
Species (IAS), with an emphasis on consequences of IAS for biodiversity on islands; and
the scope for management of IAS including an introduction to approaches developed
globally and in other regions. There then follows a review of the work of the IUCN with
a particular emphasis on the Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the specialist
groups within the SSC. The Indian Ocean Plant Specialist Group (IOPSG), responsible
for the scientific organisation of this workshop, is introduced. Finally the work of a
particularly dynamic specialist group, the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) is
reviewed.
The Scope of the Workshop
The expected outcomes of the forthcoming workshop are very clearly stated in the
workshop title. These expected outcomes comprise three elements:
Sharing experience
The islands and island groups represented in this workshop all have some experience of
the effects of Invasive Alien Species on their native terrestrial biodiversity. They also
have some experience in managing the effects of IAS. By sharing experiences we can
help ensure that best practices are adopted in the region and that mistakes made
somewhere at some time are not repeated. All island groupings represented have small
populations in global terms and resources are, and always will be, limited. Therefore, the
complete range of expertise needed to manage IAS will never be found within a single
island or island group. Meeting and sharing experiences with experts from other parts of
the region will help practitioners to access the expertise that does exist within the region.
In addition experts within the region are often part of a wider global network (much of it
informal) through which information can be exchanged. The sharing of experience in the
region, therefore, can open the much wider door of global information exchange.
Identifying priorities
To understand what we have in common and what things are specific at the island or
island group scale we must consider priorities. This will help us to identify areas, which
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