Quadrilateral scientific collaboration in marine biosecurity

In 2016, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment funded a three year project to strengthen scientific cooperation and information exchange between researchers in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada to tackle the global problem of marine bioinvasions.

The aim of the partnership is to accelerate research on tools and technologies for early detection, rapid response and evaluation of risks from invasive marine species. The intention is to get better alignment between complementary work programmes in the four countries, establish new research collaborations, and facilitate greater exchange of information and capability.

This project has a focus on three areas of research:

• Developing more sensitive, cost-efficient tools for surveillance.
• Developing innovative technologies and tactics for control and eradication of marine pests.
• Developing better ways to evaluate social and cultural impacts from invasive marine species, particularly for indigenous communities

Related content:

•  International experts study global bio-invasion hotspots
• New Zealand hosts international workshop on new technologies for marine pest surveillance

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