Taputapuatea, UNESCO site Cultural Landscape in Raiatea, in French Polynesia
Invasive species control
The management of invasive species on the UNESCO site Cultural Landscape of Taputapuatea in Raiatea is a major challenge in terms of the conservation of heritage flora (mape, tamanu, mara, motoi etc.) as well as the conservation of cultural sites currently invaded.
These observations feed into the intervention strategy of the PROTEGE programme in terms of invasive plant species control (IAS) such as cecropia, Chinese guava or falcata on this site.
Collaborative work is undertaken between the local teams of the Directorate of Culture and Heritage (DCP), the PROTEGE facilitator (Environment Services) dedicated to the fight against invasive species, SPC's PROTEGE team (French Polynesia coordinator) and SPREP (Invasive species thematic coordinator).
Recently, visits were made to 3 plots assigned to the DCP. On the "site restoration" component, the visit to the Taputapuatea's nursery suggests that a partnership could be considered for the supply of heritage species to be planted after the clean-up operations on certain plots.
Photo below: DCP plot invaded by cecropia
Local nursery
Local nursery
DCP plot invaded
