8/15/2023 0 Comments Coconut rhinoceros beetle guamThe CRB was identified by Micronesian leaders during the 22 nd Micronesian Islands Forum as an urgent and growing threat to the region. The current outbreak of the CRB on Guam began in 2015 after Typhoon Dolphin left massive amounts of decaying vegetation, creating prime CRB breeding sites in its wake. There is also the risk of the CRB spreading to other islands in the region. Continued spread of the CRB will cause further damage to Guam’s forests, leading to land erosion that will impact waterways, corals, and marine life surrounding Guam. The Cocos nucifera, commonly known as the coconut tree, has already suffered extensive damage throughout Guam. ![]() The Cycas micronesica, Cocos nucifera, and Heterospathe elata, the three most populous trees on Guam accounting for 39% of the trees in Guam’s forests, are susceptible to the CRB. Funds will be used to 1) survey for the amount of OrNV isolates that may already be actively spreading within the Guam CRB population 2) release OrNV-infected CRB into the healthy CRB population and 3) establish an island-wide monitoring system through the use of 150 pheromone traps and roadside surveys that can be conducted using an existing smartphone dash-cam app. $239,994 is awarded to the University of Guam to establish biological control of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) population on Guam using two recently tested Nudivirus (OrNV) isolates (V23B and UOGT) that have proven to be effective in killing the CRB. The department says funding will be used to introduce biological control of coconut rhinoceros beetles, control and eradicate feral cats and monitor lizards, and destroy wild vines, all of which are disruptive to ecological systems and impacting communities and livelihoods in the islands.Īn initial list of grants awarded under the Coral Reef and Natural Resources Initiative for FY 2020 are as follow: territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), as well as in the Republic of Palau, and Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). ![]() Domenech today announced $942,206 in fiscal year (FY) 2020 Coral Reef and Natural Resources Initiative grants to eradicate and control the spread of invasive species in the U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W.
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