The initial decade of conservation funding following the <i>Aulacaspis yasumatsui</i> (Diaspididae) invasion of Guam

Abstract Guam was invaded by Aulacaspis yasumatsui in 2003, and numerous funding agencies contributed to the attempts to mitigate the resulting biotic threats and conserve the host Cycas micronesica population. We discuss these initially funded projects, outline some lessons learned, and address the contemporary funding needs. The initial projects were successful in establishing the Rhyzobius lophanthae predator and securing crucial benchmark data on plant population density and demography prior to the commencement of plant mortality. After several years of conservation efforts that included unsuccessful attempts to establish fully effective biological control, a shift of major funds toward rescuing plants from military construction sites resulted in a loss of focus on the most needed conservation endeavors. The cycad species was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2015 as a result of this invasion and the failure to establish effective biological control. This case study presents an example where the causes of the threats to species survival are clearly understood, but the copious amounts of funding that have been spent were not devoted to mitigating those threats. The lessons from Guam may inform emergency management decisions within other newly invaded cycad habitats in other countries.