Researcher Spotlight: Elliott Parsons
September 18, 2024
Elliott Parsons is a Pacific Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (Pacific RISCC) Management Network specialist, funded by a Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) researcher award. His journey to becoming a key figure in Pacific Island conservation began with a cultural anthropology and biology background.
“I’ve always been fascinated by how people interact with the natural world,” Parsons explained. He began his studies in cultural anthropology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, exploring the ways people interact with the world around them. Parsons originally planned to earn a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, but a love for biology, inspired by a former professor, Dan Doak, led him to pursue ecology.
“Dan was one of those professors who would bring animals and other things into the classroom to get people excited. I took all of his classes, loved them, and wound up working for him as a field tech during the summer in Alaska. I decided this is what I want to do: ecology and fieldwork.”
Parsons changed paths and pursued a Ph.D. in fish and wildlife biology from the University of Montana. His studies led him to teach a field studies class for Mesa Community College in Costa Rica. It was there that he received a job offer to work in Hawaiʻi. “I had three great job opportunities to choose from; it was one of those fork-in-the-road type moments. Ultimately, I chose a position in Hawaiʻi as the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Coordinator, and that’s what I wound up doing for twelve years, all things management-related.”
Throughout his years working on Hawaiʻi Island, Parsons has collaborated closely with the PI-CASC. “PI-CASC has been woven throughout my time in Hawaiʻi. I really appreciated how they included me as a land manager – in my experience, organizations dedicated to research don’t often include land managers.” Parsons explained, “That’s something that struck me about PI-CASC: the inclusivity, elevating the voices of managers, and the values of co-production and co-management.”
From involvement in climate change vulnerability assessments to collaborations on drought projects and participation in PI-CASC’s Manager Climate Corps program, Parsons has been at the forefront of integrating scientific research with practical resource management in the Pacific Islands for over a decade. In 2022, Parsons began his current role as the Pacific RISCC specialist, exploring perspectives, needs, and research at the intersection of invasive species management and climate change in the Pacific region.
Pacific RISCC: Climate Change and Invasive Species in the Pacific Islands
Climate change and invasive species are significant problems in the Pacific Islands. Climate change-related challenges, including sea level rise, warming air and ocean temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and drought, wildfires, and increased frequency and intensity of storms and cyclones, render ecosystems more vulnerable to invasive species. This is particularly damaging because a primary cause of global biodiversity loss is the intentional or unintended introduction of invasive species through trade, tourism, and human migration.
A lot of information exists about climate change and invasive species separately, but there is not a lot of research about how they interact, especially in the Pacific. This lack of knowledge makes it hard for people managing natural and or cultural resources to deal with both problems simultaneously.
Pacific RISCC examines how the impacts of climate change can worsen the effects of invasive species in the Pacific and how the spread of invasive species can decrease climate resilience. They support managers with information and tools that can help managers choose the best ways to protect both nature and local communities in the Pacific Islands.
“Basically, we need to make sure we are considering climate change in invasive species prevention and management, and also considering including invasive species in climate change adaptation and mitigation actions,” said Parsons. “It goes both ways.”
Pacific RISCC Forum at the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference
In late July 2024, Parsons and several other PI-CASC-funded scientists presented Climate-Related Disasters in the Pacific: Sharing Lessons Learned to Increase Resilience in Hawaiʻi during the 31st annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference. The two-hour forum aimed to open lines of communication between emergency responders like USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service and resource managers.
These conversations are crucial as human responses to natural disasters often magnify invasive species issues. In 2009, for example, a small invasive Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) was caught by the Samoa National Invasives Task Force around Satitoa Wharf, Upolo Island. Researchers who assisted in the capture believe the animal hitched a ride on ships from the relief efforts after an 8.3 earthquake created a tsunami that devastated the region. Invasive mongoose are a significant threat to native birds in Hawaiʻi, meaning the spread of mongoose in Samoa could have dire consequences for the native species in that region too. The more emergency responders are aware of threats like these, the more they can take the necessary precautions to limit the likelihood of invasive species spreading between islands.
Pacific RISCC First In-Person Retreat
In August 2024, Parsons facilitated the Pacific RISCC’s first in-person meeting. The three-day meeting was hosted and funded by PI-CASC, bringing together 18 members of the Pacific RISCC Core and Science Advisory Teams.
“This meeting was a crucial opportunity for our team to meet face-to-face after years of virtual collaboration,” Parsons said. “It allowed us to share knowledge, discuss regional challenges and solutions, and set future goals for Pacific RISCC.”
The gathering included representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau, the state of Hawaiʻi, and the U.S. Territories of American Samoa and Guam. Participants engaged in a guided field visit, presentations, and discussions to address the unique challenges Pacific Island ecosystems and communities face with climate change. These discussions included determining the best ways to bridge conversations between environmental agencies, who are often working with different degrees of funding and capacity.
A major outcome of the meeting is a summary of the challenges faced by Pacific RISCC partners in preventing and managing biological invasions in the face of climate change and possible solutions, and the group plans to use this document to update its goals and activities. One of the items discussed at the meeting was a comprehensive manager survey to assess regional concerns and needs in Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. This survey, led by Dr. Andrea Blas with the Micronesia Conservation Trust, will inform future action plans and priorities for Pacific RISCC, building upon insights discovered from the first survey, led by Dr. Laura Brewington with Pacific RISA.
“The first survey really demonstrated the need for Pacific RISCC. Almost 90% of survey respondents were concerned or very concerned about the impacts of climate change on invasive species management, but managers were only moderately satisfied with existing products and tools,” Parsons explained. “Because the first survey was Hawaiʻi-focused, it does not necessarily represent the concerns and needs of the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. So we decided to do a follow-up survey now that we have much broader coverage in members and leadership across the region.”
The retreat is just one example of how Parsons and his team continue to work to create more resiliency and strengthen manager-researcher partnerships across the Pacific Islands.
As climate change continues to reshape Pacific Island ecosystems, the collaborative efforts of Parsons and organizations like Pacific RISCC pave the way for more resilient and adaptive management strategies. Parsons’ unique career path and academic background allow him to influence more collaboration, conversation, and community. “If we can help build relationships among these diverse communities of people, that will help to create better adaptation.”