Should be no more than 750 words. Please note that the progress summary will be made publicly available on ACIAR's website and in other communication materials. Do not include any commercially- or institutionally- sensitive material in this summary (this information should be included in 4.7).

The summary should focus on key activities and results obtained during the year under review. For each Subproject and/or Objective show and comment on what has been achieved (during reporting period).

Append any detailed reports on project activities done for other purposes. These will not be released.
All project personnel were appointed or assigned. Jonacani Ratutini (Project Technical Officer) & Livai Vakatikati (Labourer) were appointed by the Fiji, Ministry of Agriculture; Sarah Pene (Technical Officer) was appointed by SPC and Ingu Bofeng (Scientist) was appointed by NARI, PNG.

The biocontrol rearing laboratory at Koronivia Research Station (KRS) in Fiji was upgraded prior to project commencement for host-screening and mass rearing work. Twenty cages were constructed in Australia and shipped to Fiji.

A workshop was conducted at the KRS in July, with participants from SPC, Ministry of Agriculture and Qld Natural Resources and Water. All aspects of the project were discussed including budgets, activities, milestones and reporting.

A database has been established and the distribution of mikania in PNG and Fiji is being recorded. Surveys and herbarium records suggest that there are over 150 sites in Fiji and nearly 50 in PNG where mikania is present. It is estimated that there are many more sites than this and the database will continually be updated as staff locate more sites through surveys or through the awareness program. Monitoring sites to assess growth rates and percent cover of mikania prior to releasing agents were established at three sites on Viti Levu (Nadi, Koronivia Research Station and Naduruloulou Research Station); one site at Vuma village on Ovalau Island and one site at the Taveuni Coconut Center (TCC) on Taveuni Island. Assessments are being conducted on a monthly basis.

Mikania plants and 35 species of host testing plants were propagated and are being maintained in the nursery area at KRS. The butterflies Actinote anteas & Actinote thalia pyrrha were imported into the quarantine unit at KRS. Dr Roch Desmier de Chenon from Indonesia hand carried the agents and supplied training to SPC and KRS staff. The colony of A. anteas was lost after two generations. Host testing of A. thalia pyrrha has now commenced, with three species now tested.

The host-specificity screening of the 3rd biological control agent the rust Puccinia spegazzinii has been completed by CABI in the UK. The rust failed to develop on all plants except M. micrantha from Fiji and PNG suggesting that the rust is safe for importation. An Import Risk Analysis to support an Application for Import was completed and submitted to the Fiji Quarantine and Inspection Service in November 2006. A decision is pending.

Warea Orapa and Michael Day attended the 7th International Workshop on Management of Chromolaena odorata and Mikania micrantha at the National University of Pingtung, Taiwan. A joint poster was presented, as well as project and country reports. A project meeting with Carol Ellison from CABI was also held to discuss the work on the rust.

There has been steady progress on the project in some areas. However, there have been some obstacles encountered which have severely impacted on the project. There have been some changes to project staff with key personnel leaving. This has resulted in a reduction of momentum and capacity. Staff have now been appointed but some training is required. Most infrastructure work has now been completed. Quarantine upgrades have been conducted in Fiji and PNG. However, minor work is still required at NARI, Kerevat, and PNG before approval of the facility is granted. The approval for the importation and field release of the rust in PNG is dependent on the satisfactory upgrade of the quarantine. Shade houses have been constructed in WNB by PNGOPRA and at SPC in Fiji.
Growth studies have been conducted in Fiji and PNG, showing mikania can grow over 1 m per month. Impact studies have been completed in Fiji and in some parts of PNG. Communication problems with the regions have impacted on this activity. There is excellent data on the distribution of mikania in Fiji, with it being found on all major islands and affecting a wide range of land uses. There is good data on its distribution in PNG in two provinces but little is know of its distribution elsewhere.
Actinote spp. was imported into Fiji several times and host testing commenced. Unfortunately a culture could not be maintained. A decision to re-import will be made depending on whether approval is granted to import and field release the rust in Fiji. An application to import and field release Actinote spp. in PNG is being prepared.
Host testing of the rust Puccinia spegazzinii was completed by CABI Europe-UK under contract. The rust was host specific and an application to import the rust into quarantine at SPC, Fiji was approved. However, approval to field release the rust into Fiji has not been granted. Several workshops have been held and support from various groups has been received. It appears that Fiji Quarantine is not prepared to sign the approval at this stage. An application to import and field the rust in PNG has been submitted and approval is pending the satisfactory upgrade of the quarantine facility at NARI, Kerevat, and PNG.
Workshops involving project staff were not conducted due to logistical problems. However, meetings were held with project staff in Fiji and PNG to discuss project objectives, activities and responsibilities. Future meetings will need to be held to assist new staff with project activities.

There has been significant progress in the project over the past twelve months. There has been a boost to the project with the addition of three personnel, all based in Papua New Guinea (PNG), without the loss of any staff in either country over the same period. This has resulted in an increase in skills, experience and enthusiasm.
A major project milestone was achieved with the successful upgrades of quarantine facilities in PNG and Fiji, allowing the importation of the rust Puccinia spegazzinii into PNG and Fiji. The rust has been subsequently field released in PNG at over 30 sites in five provinces. Permission to field release the rust in Fiji has still not been granted.
Biological studies have been conducted on the rust in PNG and an efficient culturing method developed. Field release techniques are still being investigated to improve the likelihood of establishment. Laboratory studies conducted have shown that the rust does impact significantly on the growth of mikania. These studies are still being conducted to gather more information.
Permission to import the butterflies Actinote spp. into PNG has been granted. However, some testing against some desired plant species should be conducted prior to its field release. There has been no attempt to re-introduce the butterflies into Fiji. As permission to introduce the rust into Fiji has not been granted, there is no certainty that approval will be given to the release of the butterflies following additional testing.
There are excellent data on the distribution of mikania in Fiji, with it being found on all major islands and affecting a wide range of land uses. There also are good data on its distribution in PNG in six provinces but little is known of its distribution elsewhere. Completed questionnaires from land owners in both countries indicate that mikania is a serious weed impacting on food production, income and lifestyle.
A workshop at the Kerevat station of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in PNG was attended by all PNG-based staff to discuss the project, plan future activities and view the quarantine facilities. There was also a substantial component involving hands-on training in culturing, field releasing and monitoring the rust.
Communication difficulties and the lack of feedback of information from the regions, particularly in PNG, is an on-going concern. However, these problems should be able to be addressed as project staff travel in the course of releasing and monitoring the rust.

There has been significant progress in the project over the past 12 months. Reliable culturing and field release techniques of the rust Puccinia spegazzinii were developed. The rust has now been released in all 15 provinces where mikania is confirmed in Papua New Guinea (PNG). It has established in at least four provinces, with many sites in most provinces still to be checked. In Fiji, the rust has been widely released on Viti Levu, establishing at 16 sites. Field monitoring in PNG has found the rust has moved 7 km in 13 months and at several sites the presence of the rust is causing a decrease in weed density. A paper on the biology, field release and impact of the rust is currently being prepared.
Travel to other regions to release the rust has provided opportunities for project staff to train regional officers in various aspects of weed biocontrol and to continually raise the awareness of mikania, the project and the rust.
Three project staff from Fiji and one from PNG attended the Pacific Biocontrol Strategy Workshop in Auckland, NZ in November 2009. This enabled project staff to exchange knowledge regarding activities being conducted in their respective countries, as well as inform researchers in other countries about mikania biocontrol. Work on the project was presented at this workshop. During the workshop, a meeting with project members was held with the ACIAR Program Manager to discuss achievements to date and future activities, serving as the basis for the end-of-project review which was subsequently completed in Fiji and PNG.
Permission to import the butterflies Actinote spp. into PNG was granted. However, based on the review recommendations, this work will be discontinued and priority will be given to releasing and evaluating the rust. For this purpose, the project was extended for six months in Fiji and 18 months in PNG, with additional resources.