TORII STATION, Okinawa -- U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa recently celebrated the successful eradication of the Browsing Ant during a Government of Japan, Ministry of the Environment (GOJ MOE), led press conference near Naha Military Port (NMP), May 23.
The eradication highlighted the importance of cross-organizational collaboration between USAG Okinawa and the GOJ MOE.
“Unlike humans, plants and animals do not have physical boundaries. They could easily come and go on roads and through utility pipes, so establishing a cooperative relationship with local stakeholders is key for success,” said Naho Ishiki, Directorate of Public Works, environmental engineer.
The Browsing Ant, an invasive alien species (IAS), was first observed on Okinawa Island in February 2020. The species is listed on the Japan Environmental Governing Standards, requiring eradication from installations upon discovery.
“Invasive species can be very destructive and hurt native species, so invasive species control helps us protect and preserve viable populations of endangered species, native communities and landscapes,” said Ishiki.
Immediately following the first detection a cooperative control team of scientists, comprised of researchers from local universities and municipal offices, was established with the goal of eradicating the ants through information sharing.
In response to the notification from GOJ MOE, USAG Okinawa conducted an invasive ants distribution survey in June 2020, confirming their presence at over 100 locations on NMP. NMP is vulnerable to the introduction of IAS since various types of cargos and vehicles are continuously transported into the area.
“Given the high mobility of these ants, it was important to take cooperative measures both on and off base,” said Ishiki. “USAG Okinawa’s control project employed the latest research findings, managing to use unprecedented control techniques while complying with DoD and Army regulations.”
Control methods needed to be environmentally friendly as NMP is a breeding and resting site for the Little Tern, a JEGS-listed Species at Risk, and other migratory birds subject for conservation. At the time, suitable control methods for the Browsing Ant were not known or established in Japan yet.
Control efforts were initiated in April 2021 and continued monthly. Four months after applying the baits in August 2021 the number of the ants drastically decreased.
Currently, the population of the ants at NMP has been greatly reduced. Though continuous monitoring and controlling are still necessary to eradicate the species, USAG Okinawa has achieved near-zero detection for the past two years.
“USAG Okinawa managed to establish a project, fund it to reach the lead researcher(s), conduct a distribution survey of the target species all within a year,” said Ishiki. “This achievement could be a model case as it demonstrates the importance of early detection, early response and cross-organizational collaboration in the fight against invasive alien species,” said Ishiki.
Information in this article was provided by Government of Japan, Ministry of the Environment and USAG Okinawa’s DPW Environmental Division.TORII STATION, Okinawa – U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa celebrated the effective eradication of an invasive insect species from the island, announcing the results of the effort in a May 23 press conference held near Naha Military Port.
A U.S. Army spokesperson said during the Government of Japan, Ministry of the Environment-led press conference that the eradication of the browsing ant highlighted the importance of cross-organizational collaboration between USAG Okinawa and the GOJ MOE.
“Unlike humans, plants and animals do not have physical boundaries,” said Naho Ishiki, an environmental engineer assigned to USAG Okinawa’s Directorate of Public Works. “They could easily come and go on roads and through utility pipes, so establishing a cooperative relationship with local stakeholders is key for success.”
The browsing ant, an invasive alien species, was first observed on Okinawa in February 2020. The species is listed on the Japan Environmental Governing Standards, requiring eradication from installations upon discovery.
“Invasive species can be very destructive and hurt native species,” Ishiki said, “so invasive species control helps us protect and preserve viable populations of endangered species, native communities and landscapes.”
Immediately following the first detection of the species, a cooperative control team of scientists, comprised of researchers from local universities and municipal offices, was established with the goal of eradicating the ants through information sharing.
In response to the notification from GOJ MOE, USAG Okinawa conducted a survey in June 2020, confirming the browsing ant’s presence at more than 100 locations on Naha. The port is vulnerable to the introduction of invasive alien species since various types of cargo and vehicles are continuously transported into the area.
“Given the high mobility of these ants, it was important to take cooperative measures both on and off base,” Ishiki said. “USAG Okinawa’s control project employed the latest research findings, managing to use unprecedented control techniques while complying with [Department of Defense] and Army regulations.”
Control methods needed to be environmentally friendly, as Naha Military Port is a breeding and resting site for the little tern, a JEGS-listed “species at risk,” as well as other migratory birds subject for conservation. At the time, suitable control methods for the browsing ant were not known or established in Japan yet.
Control efforts were initiated in April 2021 and continued monthly. Four months after applying bait traps in August 2021, the number of ants drastically decreased.
Currently, the population of the ants at Naha has been greatly reduced from its original numbers. Though continuous monitoring and controlling are still necessary to fully eradicate the species, the ongoing effort has achieved near-zero detection for the past two years.
“USAG Okinawa managed to establish a project, fund it to reach the lead researchers, and conduct a distribution survey of the target species all within a year,” Ishiki said. “This achievement could be a model case, as it demonstrates the importance of early detection, early response and cross-organizational collaboration in the fight against invasive alien species.”
The Government of Japan, Ministry of the Environment, and the Environmental Division of USAG Okinawa’s Directorate of Public Works provided information for this article.
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