African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata), originally from tropical Africa, is a destructive alien weed in the Pacific region that invades indigenous forests and arable land causing a reduction in natural biodiversity and agricultural productivity.
As part of efforts to battle this invasive weed, a recent monitoring survey of a natural enemy of African tulip tree on Vava'u has been conducted, delivered promising results and marking a significant step forward in safe, long-term, sustainable weed control in Tonga.
The survey was conducted by experts from the Tonga Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change & Communications (MEIDECC), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests (MAFF) and New Zealand’s Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research (MWLR), as part of the Natural Enemies - Natural Solutions (NENS) programme.
