Ms Annastasia Kawi
Senior Technical Officer at PNG National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority
Annastasia is an entomologist with 28 years of experience working with fruit flies from identification, understanding their biology, conducting host testing and damage assessment on commercial cultivated and wild fruits and establishing trapping as early warning systems for detection of exotic species. Additionally, she has conducted field management studies on fruit flies using integrated pest management techniques.
She has been involved in five ACIAR-funded projects and Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) entomology related trials on fruit flies, Red Banded Mango Caterpillar, Mile a Minute weed, and weevil and viruses in sweet potatoes.
Annastasia joined with National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) in 2014 as the Regional Plant Protection Officer overseeing plant health issues in New Guinea Islands region based in Kokopo, East New Britain province. In 2018 she moved from the Technical Division (Plant Health) to Operations Division within NAQIA. In this role, as the Regional Agriculture Quarantine Officer for the New Guinea Islands region, Annastasia is responsible for the administrative management of regional operations program activities covering border control programs and management and administration of staff and resources.
With her wealth of experience, she is fortunate to be part of the Treaty Village Fruit Fly Training Project and able to impart skills and knowledge to the biosecurity rangers. Community engagement is very important to conduct surveillances in very remote villages. Understanding their lifestyle and allowing community members to express their views in understanding fruit fly species and which species infests which common food crops is important for the rangers.
Annastasia has a Graduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Plant Protection from the University of Queensland Gatton campus.