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Brown, P.R.

Campbell, K.J.

Delborne, J.

Godwin, J.

Gould, F.

Howald, G.R.

Kanavy, D.M.

Kuiken, T.

Packard, H.

Piaggio, A.

Saah, J.R.

Serr, M.

Shiels, A.

Thomas, P.

Threadgill, D.

Tompkins, D.M.

Invasive rodents have significant negative impacts on island biodiversity. All but the smallest of rodent eradications currently rely on island-wide rodenticide applications. Although significant advances have been made in mitigating unintended impacts, rodent eradication on inhabited islands remains extremely challenging. Current tools restrict eradication efforts to fewer than 15% of islands with critically endangered or endangered species threatened by invasive rodents. The Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration to develop and evaluate gene drive technology for eradicating invasive rodent populations on islands. Technological approaches currently being investigated include the production of multiple strains of Mus musculus with a modified form of the native t-complex, or a CRISPR gene drive, carrying genes or mechanisms that determine sex. These systems have the potential to skew the sex ratio of off spring to approach 100% single-sex, which could result in population collapse. One goal proposed is to test the ability of constructs to spread and increase in frequency in M. musculus populations in biosecure, captive settings and undertake modelling to inform development and potential deployment of these systems. Structured ecologically-based risk assessments are proposed, along with social and cultural engagement to assess the acceptability of releasing a gene drive system. Work will be guided by an external ethics advisory board. Partners are from three countries with significant regulatory capacity (USA, Australia, New Zealand). Thus, we will seek data sharing agreements so that results from experiments may be used within all three countries and treat regulatory requirements as a minimum. Species-specific, scalable, and socially acceptable new eradication tools could produce substantial biodiversity benefits not possible with current technologies. Gene drive innovation may provide such a tool for invasive species management and be potentially transformative and worthy of exploring in an inclusive, responsible, and ethical manner.

Black rat eradication on Italian islands: planning forward by looking backward

Baccetti, N.

Capizzi, D.

Gotti, C.

Pelliccioni, E. Raganella

Petrassi, F.

Sozio, G.

Sposimo, P.

Since 1999, the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been eradicated from 14 Italian islands, and eradication is ongoing on a further five islands. Most projects were funded by the European Union (EU) Life Programme. Over the years, eradication techniques have been improved and adapted to different situations, including aerial bait distribution on islands with large inaccessible areas, which otherwise would have relied on a manual bait distribution. A priority list of eradications on islands, which was compiled ten years ago, has been met to a large extent, as rats have been successfully eradicated from many islands of great importance to breeding seabirds. Despite some cases of re-invasion occurring in early projects, advances in biosecurity measures have allowed for eradications on islands where this was previously considered unfeasible due to a high risk of re-invasion. This paper reports on black rat eradication work performed on Italian Mediterranean islands with small villages. We show biodiversity benefits of these programmes, but also qualitatively address socio-economic and health impacts on local communities. Eradication projects have faced new obstacles, due to recent changes in legislation which complicated the application of rodenticides and made it very difficult to get permission for aerial distribution of bait on some of the priority islands.

Control of house mice preying on adult albatrosses at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

Duhr,M.

Flanders, B.

Flint, E.N.

Howald, G.

Hunter, S.A.

Norwood, D.

Taylor, R.V.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (MANWR), is home to 21% of all nesting black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) and 47% of all nesting Laysan albatross (P. immutabilis) worldwide. During the 20152016 nesting season predation and disturbance by non-native house mice (Mus musculus), here documented for the first time, resulted in 70 abandoned nests, 42 adult birds killed and 480 wounded. In the following nesting season the affected area increased, resulting in 242 dead adults, 1,218 injured birds and 994 abandoned nests. Mouse predation activities triggered a mouse control response to reduce mouse densities in the affected areas using multi-catch live traps, kill traps, and limited use of anticoagulant rodenticides in bait stations. In 20162017 we applied a pelleted cholecalciferol rodenticide, AGRID (Bell Laboratories, Madison, WI), at a rate of 20 kg/ha in all affected areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using AGRID to reduce mouse density and rate of mouse attacks on nesting albatrosses on Sand Island. Mouse attacks decreased and mouse abundance was reduced following rodenticide applications in the plots treated in December but changes in attack rates in the plots treated in January were not detectable and mouse abundance increased subsequent to treatment. The plots in the December treatments were much larger than those used in January and rainfall rate increased after December. A minimum size of treatment area may be necessary to achieve a reduction in injury rates in albatrosses. No deleterious effects were observed in non-target organisms. The casualties resulting from mouse predation (mostly Laysan albatross) represent a small proportion of the 360,000 pairs nesting on Sand Island. However, the risk to adult breeding albatrosses representing such a large fraction of the global population prompted the United States Fish & Wildlife Service to prioritise mouse control efforts.

A socio-economic assessment of the Huon coast leatherback turtle nesting beach project.

Island and Ocean Ecosystems

he Western Pacific Regional Fisheries management council 1 (WPRFmc) currently funds several leatherback turtle recovery projects in the Western Pacific, whereby participating communities are paid to monitor beaches as opposed to harvesting eggs or turtles.

Kinch, J

2006

Small- and large-scale eradication of invasive ?sh and ?sh parasites in freshwater systems in Norway

Bardal, H.

In July 2016, the European Union adopted a list of invasive alien species of concern, and at present there are two freshwater ?sh species on the list. Member states are obliged to prevent further spread and to perform rapid eradication when problem species are discovered at new sites, but continental EU member states have limited experience with eradication of ?sh. Eradications are more likely to succeed if the invasive species is con?ned to insular habitats. Freshwater invasives can be regarded as island invasives, since their habitats have boundaries against shorelines, saline waters, waterfalls and dams, and these boundaries make eradications possible. CFT Legumine® containing rotenone is the only legal piscicide in the EU, and Norway has used CFT Legumine® in eradication e?orts for many years. Species that have been introduced outside their native range and have been successfully eradicated include minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), roach (Rutilus rutilus), pike (Esox lucius), common white?sh (Coregonus lavaretus), and the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris. This manuscript summarises the eradication e?orts of invasive ?sh species and ?sh parasite species during the last two decades in Norway, covering eradications from such diverse habitats as small ponds, lakes, marshlands, small streams and large rivers. An estimated £100 million has been spent in the Gyrodactylus salaris eradication programme. Costs of invasive ?sh eradications are given, ranging from less than £10,000 to more than £200,000. There are no known invasive ?sh eradication failures in Norway in the last 20 years. A summary of the e?orts in Norway can be an aid for planning control and eradication measures of invasive ?sh species in other countries.

First report of marine alien species in mainland Ecuador: threats of invasion in rocky shores

Bigatti, G.

Cornejo, M.

Coronel, J.

Cárdenas, A.

Cárdenas-Calle, M.

Keith, I.

Martinez, P.

Mora, E.

Pérez-Correa, J.

Rivera, F.

Torres, G.

Triviño, M.

Troccoli, L.

Villamar, F.

Zambrano, R.

Invasive species are of signi?cant concern, especially in mega-diverse countries, because they cause negative e?ects such as loss of native biodiversity, ecological alterations, disease spread, and impacts on economic development and human health. In mainland Ecuador, information on invasive invertebrates in marine ecosystems is scarce. The objective of this study was to describe and locate the invasive species present in the rocky shores of the intertidal and subtidal zones along 10 areas (83 sites) covering most of the Ecuadorian coast during 20152016. Benthic macroinvertebrates communities were measured over quadrats located randomly on a 50 m transect positioned parallel to the coast in the intertidal and subtidal zone, covering an area of 1,860 km2. Six invasive species were recorded: Arthropoda (Amphibalanus amphitrite), Cnidaria (Pennaria disticha, Carijoa riisei), Bryozoa (Bugula neritina), Rhodophyta (Asparagopsis taxiformis) and Chlorophyta (Caulerpa racemosa). The areas with highest abundance of invasive species were in Jama (not a protected area), Marine and Costal Wildlife Reserve Puntilla of Santa Elena and Santa Clara Island Wildlife Refuge (protected areas). The most abundant species was Carijoa riisei with a relative abundance of up to 80%. It was the most aggressive of the invasive species registered in the subtidal zone, mainly in northern centre of the Ecuadorian coast. C. riisei is growing on native coral (Pocillopora spp.) and on sessile macroinvertebrate communities (Pinctada mazatlanica, Muricea appresa and Aplysina sp.) that are being a?ected by its invasion. This study must be taken into account by local and regional government authorities to create public policy programmes of monitoring for surveillance and control of invasive species. These programmes should focus on integration of socio-economic and ecological e?ects. They should be complemented by experimental design and analysis of environmental variables to provide technical information for a baseline of bio-invasion analysis along the Ecuadorian coast and Galápagos, to avoid the expansion of invasive species negatively a?ecting the marine biodiversity of mega-diverse countries such as Ecuador and other countries of South America.

Lessons on effectiveness and long-term prevention from broad-scale control of invasive alien species in Scotlands rivers and lochs

Horrill, J.C.

Oliver, M.K.

Stubbs Partridge, J.

Prior to 2008 there were few invasive alien species (IAS) initiatives operating in Scotland on a scale required for e?ective control. The establishment of the Biosecurity and Invasive Non-Native Species Programme by the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland was the ?rst attempt to link local e?orts with national IAS strategy on scales appropriate to the e?ective control of target species. The programme worked with 26 local ?sheries trusts to produce biosecurity plans that covered over 90% of Scotlands rivers and lochs. The programme implemented a range of prevention measures, including promoting awareness of invasive species issues and the need for biosecurity among water users. Projects were established for invasive plants on most major river systems, and for American mink (Neovison vison) in the north of Scotland. These projects involved public/private partnerships, using a mix of professional sta? and volunteers. Interactive data management systems were developed to manage input from a large number of individuals and to inform an adaptive management approach. These control projects demonstrated that it is feasible to reduce the size and density of target populations of invasive species across large geographic areas. The key to maintaining the momentum of this control e?ort in the future will be to demonstrate sustainable IAS management in the longer term. This challenge led to the formulation of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) whose overall aim is the development of a long-term, cost-e?ective strategy for IAS management throughout the north of Scotland. SISI will test strategies derived from experience and information from previous control projects. Important areas that the initiative will seek to address include de?ning outcomes, integrating IAS management into other management initiatives, and maintaining partnership interest and cohesiveness in a challenging funding environment.

Biosecurity on St Helena Island a socially inclusive model for protecting small island nations from invasive species

Balchin, J.R.

Duncan, D.G.

Key, G.E.

Stevens, N.

St. Helena Island, 122 km2 (47 sq. miles) is a UK Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. It is a remote volcanic island situated in the sub-tropics 1,127 km (700 miles) from Ascension Island and 2,736 km (1,700 miles) from South Africa. Its resident population of ca. 4,500 is serviced by a single supply ship which visits up to 25 times a year. Isolation has acted historically as a natural barrier to pest arrival and border control has followed the conventional practice of protecting agricultural interests through restrictions on fresh produce, plant materials, livestock and pets. The bene?ts of isolation were compromised in 2016 when the ?rst airport opened. Private jets arrive now from Africa, Europe and South America, and commercial ?ights started at the end of 2017. A programme of biosecurity capacity building and strengthening was established in anticipation of this air tra?c. St Helena authorities introduced a national biosecurity framework and associated policy (entitled Biosecurity St Helena), the latter constructed through multi-sectoral consultation, and key stakeholders participated throughout in policy development. Biosecurity St Helena applies international standards set by the International Plant Protection Convention across the biosecurity continuum. As is typical in small island nations, human and ?nancial resources are limited, so that the biosecurity strategy addresses mainly higher risks. Compliance is heavily reliant on public awareness. Active communication engages all community sectors in biosecurity work through education, information, advocacy and feedback. Authorities use key performance indicators to measure the e?ectiveness of this approach. Biosecurity St Helena is a model of actively socialised biosecurity for other small island nations.

Eradication programmes complicated by long-lived seed banks: lessons learnt from 15 years of miconia control on O'ahu Island, Hawai'i

The invasive tree Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae) is a priority for control on the Hawaiian Island of O?ahu due to its potential to replace native ??hi?a (Metrosideros polymorpha, Myrtaceae) forests and degrade watershed function if allowed to establish. The O?ahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) is attempting to eradicate this species from the island of O?ahu. OISC uses a bu?er strategy based on estimated seed dispersal distance to determine the area under surveillance. This strategy has worked well enough to suppress the number of trees reaching reproductive age. The number of mature trees removed annually is now less than the number initially removed when the programme started in 2001. In 2016, just 12 mature trees were removed from 54.71 km2 surveyed compared to 2002, when 40 mature trees were removed from 8.26 km2 surveyed, a 96% drop in mature trees per square kilometre surveyed. However, miconia has a long-lived seed bank and can germinate after 20 years of dormancy in the soil. Funding shortages and gaps in surveys due to refusal of private property owners to allow access have resulted in some long-range extensions. OISCs results suggest that seed bank longevity is an important factor when prioritising invasive species risk and that allocating more resources at the beginning of a programme to eradicate a species with long-lived seed banks may be a better strategy than starting small and expanding.

Successful eradication of signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) using a non-specific biocide in a small isolated water body in Scotland

Ballantyne, L.

Baum, D.

Bean, C.W.

Long, J.

Whitaker, S.