PIAT workshops
We have created a programme of workshops on how to use the PIAT resources.
This programme is intended to deliver capacity building for the resources in the Pacific Invasive Ant Toolkit (PIAT), to facilitate the prevention and management of invasive ants problems in the Pacific.
The overall objective is to enable the participants in the programme to be able to effectively use the resources and information in the PIAT to prevent and manage the problems caused by invasive ants.
It is intended in future to incorporate these workshops as part of a 'train the trainer' initiative in the Pacific.
Workshop structure : Audience-specific needs
Workshop structure
The training programme is in the form of series of seven standalone workshops covering the six main sections of the PIAT (Problem ants part 1 & 2, Prevention, Assessing the problem, Getting rid of ants, Learning and Teaching & Legislation), as well as a workshop specifically for teachers who wish to develop lessons based around invasive ants.
Each workshop has an accompanying workbook, which includes a selection of Exercises, each with distinct objectives. Whenever possible, we have included practical components to the exercises, and related them to the local situation.
Workshop descriptions
The table below shows the content covered in the workshops, with links to pdfs of the workbooks provided to each participant.
| Workshop | Description | Days | ||
| Problem ants part 1 | Not all ants are a problem, but there are some important ones to watch out for, and they can cause serious problems | 0.5-1 | ||
| Problem ants part 2 | Where problem ants come from and how to identify them | 1-1.5 | ||
| Prevention | Prevention is cheaper, and easier in the long run, than trying to get rid of ants | 2 | ||
| Assessing the problem | Before you start planning what to do about an ant problem you need to know how bad it is | 1-2 | ||
| Getting rid of ants | Once you've decided to get rid of ants, you need to know how to do this properly | 3-4 | ||
| Learning and teaching | Awareness of why ants are a problem is really important | 1 | ||
| Legislation | Laws, agreements and regulations help to prevent and manage ant problems | 0.5 | ||
| Invasive ants for teachers | Introduces teachers to awareness of invasive ants and the lesson plans | 1 |
Audience-specific needs
The full workshop programme covers the six main sections of the PIAT in separate workshops.
However, different sections of the PIAT are relevant for different types of roles. For example, the target audience for Prevention is Biosecurity, Environment and Agriculture officers who need to actively prevent the arrival and spread of invasive ants in the course of their work.
Where a workshop is intended for multiple audiences, some of the material is tailored according to need. This is why there are two Problem ants workshops – a general one for all audiences and a second workshop specifically for biosecurity and environment officers who need to more in-depth knowledge.
The information required for teachers is quite different so we have created an Invasive ants for teachers workshop specifically for them.
| Target audience(s) | Suggested workshops | Approximate duration | ||
| Biosecurity, Environment and Agriculture officers (domestic and international biosecurity and management of invasive ants) | Problem ants part 1 & 2 Prevention Assessing the problem Getting rid of ants Learning and teaching Legislation |
9 - 11 days | ||
| Biosecurity, Environment and Agriculture officers (outreach) | Problem ants part 1 Learning and teaching |
2 days | ||
| Consultants and NGO representatives | Problem ants part 1 Assessing the problem Getting rid of ants Learning and teaching Legislation |
5 days | ||
| Teachers | Invasive ants for teachers | 1 day | ||
| Policy makers, risk managers | Problem ants part 1 Legislation |
1 day |
Contact Pacific Biosecurity if you are interested in the workshop programme.