Staff from the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, the ASCC Land Grant Program and Swains Representative Su’a Alex Jennings represented American Samoa at the 2026 Island Invasives Conference that concluded Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand.
The DMWR representatives are Deputy Director Selaina Vaitautolu Tuimavave, Chief Wildlife Biologist Adam Miles, Wildlife Biologist Avele Lalogafuafua and Wildlife Tech Jeffrey Vaitoa. The Land Grant staffers attending were Masela Mauga-Lei and Uiki Isaako of the Forestry Division
The conference presented an opportunity for DMWR to meet with federal partners to discuss funding possibilities, strengthen biosecurity networks for both terrestrial and marine invasives and establish relationships with island practitioners who have performed eradication projects over the years. It was also an opportunity to connect with regional experts on the science available to support implementation of eradication methodologies for the rodent eradication project on Swains island.
The conference is held every ten years and the 2026 meeting had 300 delegates.
Photo: DMWR
