Skip to main content

Search the SPREP Catalogue

Refine Search Results

Tags / Keywords

Language

Available Online

Tags / Keywords

Available Online

5 result(s) found.

Sort by

You searched for

  • Tags / Keywords diversity
    X
  • Tags / Keywords brown rat
    X
Working with the local community to eradicate rats on an inhabited island: securing the seabird heritage of the Isles of Scilly
BRB
Available Online

Bell, E.

,

Buckley, P.

,

Garratt, W.

,

Lock, L.

,

Mason, S.

,

McCarthy, R.

,

Pearce, J.

,

Pearson, J.

,

Pierre, P.

,

Sugar, K.

2019
The inhabited Isles of Scilly, 45 km off the south-western tip of the UK, are home to 13 seabird species including European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) and Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), for which the UK has a global responsibility. Between 1983 and 2006, the overall seabird population in Scilly declined by c.25%. This decline triggered the establishment of the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project, a partnership with the aims to reverse seabird decline and engage the local community and visitors in conserving Scilly’s seabird heritage. The eradication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from St Agnes and Gugh represented the result of over a decade of preparatory work, involving raising awareness and gaining 100% support from the community. The two islands are home to 85 people. Therefore additional, and somewhat unusual, preparations were required (including clearing sheds, communicating with school children and taking precautions to ensure the safety of pets) during the ground-based baiting operation. In 2016 St Agnes and Gugh were officially declared ‘rat-free’, meaning worldwide this is one of the largest community-based eradications to have been successful. Biosecurity on inhabited islands is complex, so to ensure the project’s sustainability, eff orts have been community-led. The community has taken ownership of protecting its seabirds, with 100% saying rat removal and the subsequent increase in seabirds has had, or will have, a positive effect on ecotourism, a key source of income for the islands. No less than 68% of the community said their businesses have directly benefited. This project represents a case study for other community-based projects, showcasing how eradications can gain community support and benefit both wildlife and human populations.
Current state of knowledge of Cetacean Threats, Diversity and Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region / by Cara Miller
Climate Change Resilience, Island and Ocean Ecosystems
Available Online

Miller, Cara

2007
This report provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of cetacean diversity, habitat and threats in the Pacifi c Islands Region. The boundaries of the Pacifi c Islands Region (Chapter 1), as defi ned by the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacifi c Islands Region (CMS 2006), are the marine areas under the jurisdiction of each Country or Territory of the Pacifi c Islands Region, and extend to the area defi ned by the Noumea Convention, i.e., between the Tropic of Cancer and 60° South latitude, and between 130° East longitude and 120° West longitude. The region stretches over some 10,000 kilometres from east to west and 5,000 kilometres from north to south, with a combined economic exclusion zone (EEZ) of approximately 30 million km². This region contains 22 Pacifi c Island Countries and Territories, as well as a portion of the Australian continent, both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and a portion of the Hawaiian Islands. The region is purported to hold the most extensive and biologically diverse reefs in the world, the deepest ocean trenches, the world’s largest tuna fi shery, as well as a range of globally threatened species such as sea turtles, dugongs and cetaceans (UNDP 1999)