By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Guam stands to receive more than half a million in fresh grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs to assist the territory in addressing invasive marine species that the island’s ecosystem.
The sum of $497,846 will fund the creation of a position for a marine biosecurity coordinator, who will be tasked with developing a surveillance and response plan for marine invasive species in Apra Harbor.
An additional $50,000 will be awarded to the University of Guam for on-island biosecurity training and a workshop focused on emergency response planning and invasive species management.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, approximately 100 documented non-native marine species have been found in Guam waters.
NOAA speculated that new pathways for invasive species are likely to open as a result of in-water construction activities associated with the relocation of military troops from Okinawa to Guam.
Guam's Marine Biosecurity Action Plan is designed to “minimize the harmful ecological, economic, social, cultural and health impacts of marine invasive species through the prevention and management of their introduction, expansion and dispersal into, within and from Guam.”
The DOI grant for Guam is included the federal government’s $2.5 million allotment for U.S. territories under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will also receive grants to fund vital biosecurity training opportunities and projects designed to improve island and coastal ecosystem resilience.
Carmen G. Cantor, assistant secretary for Insular and International Affairs, made the grant announcement today during an event titled "Communities in Action: Building a Better Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands" at the White House.
“Funds provided under the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to make significant investments in the territories,” Cantor said.
“Bipartisan Infrastructure Law projects awarded will enhance biosecurity and strengthen efforts to mitigate the impacts of invasive species, and bolster ecosystem resilience by restoring natural processes and using nature-based solutions to protect coastal, coral, and island ecosystems in our Pacific and Caribbean territories,” she added.
The funding comes from Phase 3 of the Interior Department's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded Ecosystem Restoration Program in support of the president’s America the Beautiful initiative.
“The department is stewarding an overall $2 billion over five years in new investments to put people to work restoring our nation’s lands and waters,” DOI said in a press release.
Officials said the grants are designed “to strengthen local capacity in biosecurity measures, promote the protection and restoration of biologically rich and culturally significant island and coastal ecosystems, and enhance community resilience against invasive species and environmental degradation.”
The selected projects encompass a range of activities aimed at educating stakeholders, outreach to youth, protecting shorelines and infrastructure from erosion and storms and restoring native ecosystem functions.
The current projects and programs awarded with FY2024 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds include:
CNMI: $71,417 for the Department of Lands and Natural Resources' on-island biosecurity training in Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
American Samoa: $422,162 for the development of fumigation and incineration capacity on-island to address critical biosecurity gaps. Funds will also support on-island biosecurity training, featuring national and international experts.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: $48,866 for biosecurity training to be provided to the territories by invasive species experts from both agencies.
U.S. Virgin Islands:
$999,431 for Coral Restoration Foundation Inc. to expand coral restoration efforts on St. Croix; $406,707 for The Nature Conservancy to restore historically mined coral reefs on St. Croix; and $30,000 for
the Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation's coral nursery operations and community engagement initiatives.
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