Overview
Invasive weeds are a serious problem in all Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). They have harmful impacts on human health and wellbeing, food security, and threaten native biodiversity and ecosystem services. Climate change is expected to worsen these impacts as more invasive species spread in the coming decades.
The use of natural enemies to control invasive weeds is a long-term, landscape scale, environmentally friendly, cost-effective solution and provides a major opportunity to improve the resilience of Pacific communities to the impacts of widespread weeds and climate change.
The Weed Biocontrol group at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research (MWLR) is internationally acknowledged as a world leader in weed biocontrol research and practice. It is one of three partners in the Restoring Island Resilience programme which is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Pacific weeds and their natural enemies
