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The new (Alien Species) Regulations 2022 recently passed by Cabinet will ensure greater protections for Cayman's most precious native flora and fauna (plants and animals) with the creation of a prohibited species list, and differentiating between domestic & feral species. The legislation also provides ways to control feral and alien species, crucial to reducing threats to both pets as well as our native species.

CABI has highlighted the top 20 crop pests and diseases for possible prioritization in the Eastern Caribbean as part of a special presentation given to the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum (CPHD) aimed at strengthening food security in the region and further afield. Dr Yelitza Colmenarez, CABI’s Centre Director, Brazil, told the conference of CPHD – with the participation of key partners including the FAO, IICA, OIRSA, USDA-APHIS, CIRAD, CARDI, CAHFSA and CABI Member Countries from the Caribbean – that the introduction of new pest and pathogen species are a serious threat to food security within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and globally. With the help of a range of CABI tools and platforms, including the Crop Protection Compendium, Invasive Species Compendium, Horizon Scanning Tool and Pest Risk Analysis Tool, Dr. Colmenarez says 20 key insects, bacteria, fungus and viruses pose a particular threat that needs to be identified, monitored and mitigated.

To date no studies have been undertaken on the costs and benefits of IAS management in the Caribbean. This may partly explain why there has been negligible funding to combat the onslaught of these exotic species in the region. As a result it was decided to provide individuals involved in the UNEP-GEF Project, "Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean" with training and an opportunity to undertake Cost-Benefit Analyses (CBAs) on some selected IAS. The CBAs undertaken and reported in this publication clearly demonstrates that the benefits of managing IAS outweigh the costs.

Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs this week announced $1,488,890 in fiscal year 2018 grants to combat invasive species and protect natural resources in the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. "Invasive species in the islands are disruptive for both marine and terrestrial resources in the islands, which already face a delicate balance," said Assistant Secretary Domenech. "Secretary Zinke and I are pleased to help control and eradicate invasive species in the islands in order to protect public health, livelihoods, and fragile environments and economies."

Invasive alien species, such as the Giant African Snail, the Lionfish and rats, are threats and can impact negatively on small island developing states such as those in the Caribbean, which are widely recognized as biodiversity hotspots. Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, pointed this out today, as he delivered the feature address at the Regional Inception Workshop for the “Preventing Costs of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States” Project. The workshop will seek to finalize project work plans and budgets; to approve year one work plans and budgets and to understand the United Nations Environment Programme and Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International financial rules governing the project execution. It will also seek to understand monitoring and evaluation procedures and targets for the project, towards helping Barbados and other OECS countries manage and combat the adverse effects of IAS.

The public consultation period for the proposed legislation to manage invasive alien species will run from August 10th to September 7th 2021. The aim of the Invasive Alien Species Act 2021 is to allow actions to prevent the introduction and establishment of new pest species; and to allow for management of pests already present in Bermuda’s environment. Please review the information at: https://forum.gov.bm/en/projects/managing-problem-alien-invasive-species-1 and leave your comments and questions.

Citizens with an avid interest in environmental matters will be able to 'sea' their environmental reports using mobile technology. The first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago, the Institute of Marine Affairs' new Integrated Environmental Incident Software Platform and mobile application, called the Lionfish SeaiTT, allows users to report environmental incidents with the touch of a button. The development of this mobile application was part of a 2014 Green Fund project entitled 'Control and Management of the Invasive Lionfish in Trinidad and Tobago' which aimed to raise awareness on the arrival of the marine invasive species, the lionfish, Pterios volitans, to the territorial waters around Trinidad and Tobago, and the imminent threat the species pose to domestic marine ecosystems.

Kew's UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) team recently returned from a successful launch of the Tropical Important Plant Areas project in the British Virgin Islands. Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) are target sites for plant and habitat conservation, identified by the presence of threatened species, threatened habitats and/or high botanical richness. Although TIPAs are not legal designations, they can inform the protection and management of sites for biodiversity conservation.