Climate change is intensifying Pacific storms, posing new challenges for invasive species managers. Storm damage can create ideal conditions for invasives to spread and disrupt normal management precautions or protocols, while emergency responses following storms, including shipments of aid, can also be left vulnerable to unintentionally transporting invasives to new areas.  

Pacific Islands CASC researchers and partners from the Pacific Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Network hosted a forum at the 2024 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference (HCC) on “Climate-Related Disasters in the Pacific: Sharing Lessons Learned to Increase Resilience in Hawaiʻi.” The forum featured a panel of experts who discussed how past cyclones impacted the region. Participants, including invasive species managers, emergency responders, and climate adaptation experts, then shared lessons learned and explored preparation and management strategies for invasive species before and after storms. 

Insights from this year’s discussion will inform a species watch list and other tools to help Pacific Island communities build disaster resilience and manage invasive species in the face of increasing tropical storms. 

The Pacific RISCC is supported by the Pacific Islands CASC Project “Advancing the Pacific Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network.”