Event overview
The Caribbean islands are one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots, but also one of the most threatened. However, they are highly vulnerable to the introduction of invasive alien species, particularly terrestrial vertebrates. Although studies on these species and their impact on local fauna have been conducted for several years in the Caribbean, they remain modest in scale compared to other regions of the world. Moreover, they are more often conducted by researchers affiliated with foreign institutions than by local researchers, possibly due to a lack of human and material resources in the Caribbean.
The lack of information on the ecological and health impact of the various terrestrial vertebrate species introduced in the Caribbean islands is a clear obstacle to the implementation of effective control measures. In this context, Caribaea Initiative will organize in June 2026 a special symposium and capacity-building workshop on the study and management of invasive terrestrial vertebrate species in the Caribbean islands. The ambition of this event is to bring together the community of researchers and protected area managers in the region to boost research in the field, facilitate the sharing of experience, and strengthen cooperation between different countries and territories. The format of this event will combine plenary lectures and shorter scientific presentations to report on the different types of control actions carried out in the field with training sessions on new techniques, tools and methodologies available for the study and control of invasive terrestrial vertebrate species.
The program of the special symposium and workshop will consider all the important steps in the implementation of control measures, such as the preliminary identification and quantification of the environmental impact of invasive species, the multi-criteria selection of control tools and appropriate methodologies, the evaluation of the effectiveness of control measures and the information and awareness raising of the public on the issues related to the regulation of invasive terrestrial vertebrate species. Three round tables will complete the program to assess the relevance for the island Caribbean of ethical criteria in the control and eradication of vertebrates, to reflect on the harmonization of public policies and regulations at the regional level, and to boost scientific and technical cooperation.