Invasive plant species on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

This is a continuation of the survey of islands in Micronesia and American Samoa for invasive plant species requested by the Pacific Islands Committee. Council of Western State Foresters. A survey of other Micronesian islands was conducted in 1998 and was discussed in a previous report2. This report summarizes a survey of the island of Rota. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, on 5 April 2000. The objectives, as with the previous survey. were three-fold: (1) To identify plant species on the island that are presently causing problems to natural and semi-natural ecosystems: (2) to identify species that, even though they are not presently a major problem, could spread more widely or spread to other islands where they are not present, potentially causing problems: and (3) to confirm the absence of species that are a problem elsewhere and. if introduced to Rota, could be a threat there.