THE COOPERATIVE ISLANDS INITIATIVE

The Cooperative Initiative on Invasive Alien Species on Islands (“The Cooperative Islands Initiative” or CII) was launched in 2002 following calls from countries with islands for more effective efforts to manage invasive species. The CII is coordinated by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN - The World Conservation Union under the umbrella of the Global Invasive Species Programme. The New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) provided funding to establish the programme based at the ISSG’s headquarters at the University of Auckland.

The CII is a global initiative. With requests from Pacific countries for more coordinated and cooperative approaches to addressing invasive species threats the, “Pacific Invasive Initiative” or PII became the first programme of the CII to be funded. The goal of the PII is to conserve island biodiversity and enhance the sustainability of livelihoods of men, women and youth in the Pacific. Activities are focused on raising awareness of invasive species issues, building capacity in the region to manage invasives and facilitating cooperative approaches to achieve and sustain desired outcomes.

An important objective of the PII is to enhance and augment the activities of other initiatives and programmes in the Pacific and elsewhere. The CII will be expanded beyond the South Pacific in collaboration with other countries, programmes and partners. As of late 2005 a number of Demonstration Projects will have been initiated as part of the PII.

To learn more about invasive species, visit other pages on this website, including the Global Invasive Species Database (www.issg.org/database). For more information about the PII, including Demonstration Projects, please click on the links at the top of the page.

Last updated 21 May 2008