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Maximising conservation impact by prioritising islands for biosecurity
Available Online

Bambini, L.

,

Dawson, J.

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Havery, S.

,

John, L.

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Oppel, S.

,

Radford, E.

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Varnham, K.

2019
Invasive alien species are one of the primary threats to native biodiversity on islands worldwide, and their expansion continues due to global trade and travel. Preventing the arrival and establishment of highly successful invasive species through rigorous biosecurity is known to be more economic than the removal of these species once they have established. However, many islands around the world lack biosecurity regulations or practical measures and establishing biosecurity will require social and financial investments. Guiding these investments towards islands where native biodiversity is at highest risk from potential invasions is of strategic importance to maximise conservation benefit with limited resources. Here we implement an established prioritisation approach, previously used to identify which islands will have the greatest conservation gains from the eradication of invasive species, to identify which islands would benefit the most from establishing or improving biosecurity. We demonstrate this approach for 318 islands in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories and Bermuda where we considered all threatened native terrestrial vertebrates that are vulnerable to the most harmful invasive vertebrates (black and brown rats, cats, small Indian mongoose, green iguana). The approach calculates the increase in conservation threat score resulting from anticipated negative effects of potential invaders on native biodiversity, and highlighted Sombrero (Anguilla) and Cayman Brac (Cayman Islands) as important islands where threatened reptile species would likely be eliminated if rats, feral cats or mongoose invaded. Feasibility and cost implications should now be investigated more closely on the highlighted islands. The prioritisation presented here can be expanded to more islands and more invasive/native taxa (herbivores, plants and invertebrates), but requires a classification of the severity of potential impacts between invasive and native species for which currently little information exists. Besides highlighting opportunities for biosecurity, this approach also highlights where knowledge gaps about population sizes of and threats to reptiles with restricted ranges exist.
Multi island, multi invasive species eradication in French Polynesia demonstrates economies of scale
Available Online

Coulston, G.

,

Cranwell, S.

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Derand, D.

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Ghestemme, T.

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Griffiths, R.

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Hall, T.

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Pott, M.

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Will, D.

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Zito, J.

2019
Eradication of invasive vertebrates on islands has proven to be one of the most effective returns on investment for biodiversity conservation. To recover populations of the critically endangered Polynesian ground dove (Gallicolumba erythroptera), the endangered white-throated storm-petrel (Nesofregetta fuliginosa), the endangered Tuamotu sandpiper (Prosobonia cancellata) as well as other native plant and animal species, a project was undertaken to eradicate five species of invasive alien vertebrates: Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), ship rat (R. rattus), feral cat (Felis catus), rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and goat (Capra hircus), on six islands spanning 320 km of open ocean in the Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos of French Polynesia. Using a ship to deliver supplies and equipment, a helicopter for offloading and bait application, and ground teams for follow up trapping and hunting, invasive vertebrates were successfully removed from five of the six islands. Pacific rats survived at one site. The project was planned and executed by a partnership consisting of international and local conservation NGO’s, working together with local communities. Combining the different eradication operations into one expedition added complexity to project planning and implementation and increased the risk of the operation failing on any one island but generated greater returns on investment allowing six islands to be targeted at significantly less cost than if each island had been completed individually. An extensive and thorough planning effort, effective relationships with local stakeholders and communities, a good operational strategy and a partnership of stakeholders that each brought complementary capacities to the project contributed to its success.
Methods for monitoring invertebrate response to vertebrate eradication
Island and Ocean Ecosystems, BRB
Available Online

Houghton, M.

,

Shaw, J.

,

Terauds, A.

2019
Once an island vertebrate eradication is deemed successful, it is typically assumed that ecosystem recovery will follow. To date, most post-eradication monitoring focuses on the recovery of key threatened or charismatic species, such as seabirds. Little attention has been given to monitoring and quantifying the response of invertebrate communities. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), house mice (Mus musculus), and ship rats (Rattus rattus) impacted sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island for over 140 years, with wide ranging ecosystem impacts. In 2014, the eradication of rabbits and rodents was o?cially declared successful. To determine whether management objectives are being met, we are investigating the response of invertebrate communities to pest eradication, using both historic data and contemporary surveys to track changes over space and time. To achieve this, we have developed a survey strategy that is e?ective and e?cient. Here we report on the merits of utilising a variety of invertebrate trapping methodologies to establish current baselines for future invertebrate monitoring. We identify sampling techniques that are most e?ective for speci?c groups of taxa, particularly those of interest to post-eradication monitoring, and how the implementation of such methods can improve and facilitate e?ective post-eradication monitoring of invertebrates.
The Rangitoto and Motutapu pest eradication - a feasibility study.
BRB
Available Online

Griffiths, Richard.

,

Towns, David.

2008
The eradication of the seven remaining animal pest species remaining on Rangitoto and Motutapu was announced by the Prime Minister and Minister of Conservation in June 2006. With stoats, cats, hedgehogs, rabbits, mice and two species of rats spread across an area of 3842ha, the proposed project is the most challenging and complex island pest eradication the Department of Conservation (DOC) has ever attempted. To better understand the scale and complexity of the project, a feasibility study was undertaken. This study considered the ecological, economic and social context of the project to allow an informed decision to be made on whether or not to commit resources to further eradication planning. This document outlines the findings of the feasibility study and concludes that while a number of contingencies exist within the project, the proposed eradication is not only feasible, but has many significant benefits. No single precedent exists on which this project can be modelled and information from a wide range of sources has been required. Previous eradication and control programmes have been reviewed in conjunction with what is known about the behaviour and biology of the target species. In some cases, where information has not been available and could not be inferred, trials have been undertaken. The document has been reviewed by a number of experts both within New Zealand and overseas including DOC’s Island Eradication Advisory Group. Consultation has also been undertaken with all of the islands’ key stakeholders and communities of interest. Comments from all of these parties have been reflected in the report. Rangitoto is an iconic Scenic Reserve located just 9km from downtown Auckland City. The island is internationally significant both for its ecology and geology and is an extremely popular visitor destination served by regular ferry services. Motutapu, a Recreation Reserve, is connected to and positioned immediately to the east of Rangitoto. The island, currently managed as a pastoral farm, is noted for its extensive archaeological record but retains a diverse range of habitat types and is the focus of a community-led restoration programme. In addressing the question, ‘can it be done?’ particular attention has been paid to mice, ship rats, hedgehogs and rabbits as eradication of these species on the scale of Rangitoto and Motutapu has never been attempted. Preventing reinvasion on such highly accessible and intensively visited islands is also an enormous undertaking. It is accepted, that of all the target species, mice present the greatest risk of failure. However, while a number of mouse eradications around the world have failed, all ten attempts on islands beyond the swimming range of mice that have followed current Departmental best practice have been successful, providing confidence in the method. Rangitoto and Motutapu are a significant step up from previous operations in terms of scale but are also the logical next step to apply current techniques. Despite the unprecedented elements within the project, it is considered that the key dependencies on which eradication success relies can be met for the species targeted. Preventing reinvasion is perhaps the most important consideration of the feasibility study and the one that will ultimately determine the fate of the project. Achieving an adequate level of protection for the islands hinges heavily on changing the behaviour of all 100,000 visitors that arrive on an annual basis. Without this any investments made in removing pests will be wasted. Bringing these changes about appears possible but is contingent on a number of commitments and actions that must be put in place by both DOC and its key partners. The feasibility study also addresses what the project will take to complete and attempts to identify as many of the planning issues as possible to enable the project to be properly sized. It explores the techniques that must be used, the resources that will be required and the timeframe over which they need to be deployed. While this eradication project is the most challenging and complex to be undertaken by DOC, it also presents a significant opportunity to improve our current understanding of eradication theory and practice. If successful, the project offers outstanding benefits for conservation. The recovery of locally and nationally endangered species, the creation of a stepping stone for wildlife movement between the Hauraki Gulf and the Auckland isthmus, the potential for advocacy and education, and increased recreation and economic opportunities are just some of the likely gains. The study has shown that this project is feasible, but also that there are many significant reasons why it should proceed.

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