Australia Study Tour a Success – Samoa

MDF #PacificRegional in #Samoa recently collaborated with Australian Pork Limited (APL) and Australia’s Centre for Invasive Species Solutions to facilitate a feral pig management study tour for Samoan delegates to Queensland, Australia.

The tour provided an opportunity to share knowledge and gain valuable insights to better address the growing feral pig problem in Samoa, says delegation lead, Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Fiame Leo.

The tour was facilitated by APL in collaboration with MDF and coordinated by the National Feral Pig Coordinator Heather Channon and Lead Researcher for Feral Animal Projects from the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Darren Marshall.

Discussions with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Cape York Natural Resource Management, Terrain–Natural Resource Management (NRM), and the Hinchinbrook Shire Council revealed that Australia’s feral pigs are an established pest in all states and territories, inhabiting 45 per cent of Australia’s land mass, and that their widespread impacts are similar in Australia and Samoa.

The delegation also met with Research Manager for the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), Dr Justin Perry, in Cooktown; Junjuwarra indigenous rangers and traditional owners in Starcke; and the Innisfail Canegrowers Association in Cairns.

Dr Fiame Leo expressed gratitude on behalf of the delegation for the opportunity to attend the study tour and will be looking to draw inspiration from Australia to develop feral pig management policies for Samoa.

#FeralPigManagement #MDFinPacific