Rodent eradications are a useful tool for the restoration of native biodiversity on islands, but occasionally these operations incur non-target mortality. Changes in cereal bait colour could potentially mitigate these impacts but must not compromise the eradication operation. Changing bait colour may reduce mortality of Henderson crakes (Zapornia atra), an endemic globally threatened flightless bird on Henderson Island, Pitcairn Islands, South Pacific Ocean. Crakes had high non-target mortality in a failed 2011 rat eradication operation and consumed fewer blue than green cereal pellets. We examined which cereal bait properties influenced its acceptance by captive Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) on Henderson Island. We held 82 Pacific rats from Henderson Island in captivity and provided them with non-toxic cereal bait pellets of varying properties (blue or green, moist or dry). We estimated the proportion of rats consuming bait using logistic generalised linear mixed models. We found no effect of sex, females reproductive status, bait colour or bait moisture on rats willingness to consume baits. Rats bait consumption was unaffected by cereal bait properties (colour or moisture). The use of blue bait is unlikely to affect future eradication operational success but may reduce non-target mortality of Henderson crakes. Timing cereal bait distribution in relation to precipitation may also reduce crake mortality without compromising palatability to rats.
Rodent eradications in tropical environments are often more challenging and less successful than those in temperate environments. Reduced seasonality and the lack of a defined annual resource pulse influence rodent population dynamics differently than the well-defined annual cycles on temperate islands, so an understanding of rodent ecology and population dynamics is important to maximise the chances of eradication success in the tropics. Here, we report on the recovery of a Pacific rat (Rattus exulans) population on Henderson Island, South Pacific Ocean, following a failed eradication operation in 2011. We assessed changes in the rat population using capture rates from snap-trapping and investigated seasonality by using capture rates from live-trapping. Following the failed eradication operation in 2011, rat populations increased rapidly with annual per capita growth rates, r, of 0.485.95, increasing from 6080 individuals to two-thirds of the pre-eradication abundance within two years, before decreasing (r = -0.25 -0.20), presumably as the population fluctuated around its carrying capacity. The long-term changes in rat abundance may, however, be confounded by short-term fluctuations: four years after the eradication attempt we observed significant variation in rat trapping rates among months on the plateau, ranging from 36.6 rats per 100 corrected trap-nights in mid-June to 12.6 in late August. Based on mark-recapture, we also estimated rat density fluctuations in the embayment forest between 20.4 and 42.9 rats ha-1 within one month in 2015, and a much lower rat density on the coral plateau fluctuating between 0.76 and 6.08 rats ha-1 in the span of two months. The causes for the short-term density fluctuations are poorly understood, but as eradication operations on tropical and subtropical islands become more frequent, it will be increasingly important to understand the behaviour and ecology of the invasive species targeted to identify times that maximise eradication success.
Rat eradication techniques developed in New Zealand are a proven method for removing invasive rodents from islands worldwide. This technology moved rapidly from ground-based bait station operations to aerial application of rodenticides. Rat eradications on tropical islands using similar methods, have not always been as successful as those in temperate regions. As most previous eradications in the Caribbean have been on islands smaller than 50 ha, the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus) from 207 ha Dog Island was a significant increase in size. Reptile and seabird populations on Dog Island had been in decline for a number of years and black rats were identified as the most likely factor. Following the feasibility study in 2007, the Dog Island Recovery Project was launched in 2011. This was a multiple-year project incorporating a ground-based eradication with establishment of biosecurity procedures to prevent reinvasion, alongside long-term monitoring of native species. Bait stations with cereal-based wax blocks containing brodifacoum at 0.005% w/w were established on a 3050 m grid over the island. Interference with bait stations by non-target invertebrates, particularly crabs, was high and bait stations required moving or elevating to avoid this. However, there was no evidence of any non-target animals being killed or injured by the bait. Eradication success was confirmed in 2014.
The introduction of invasive rats, goats, and rhesus macaques to Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico led to the extirpation of regionally signifi cant seabird colonies and negatively impacted plant and endemic reptile species. In 2012, following the successful removal of goats and macaques from Desecheo, an attempt to remove black rats using aerially broadcast rodenticide and bait stations was unsuccessful. A review of the operation suggested that the most likely contributors to the failure were: unusually high availability of alternative foods resulting from higher than average rainfall, and insufficient bait availability. In 2016, a second, successful attempt to remove rats was conducted that incorporated best practice guidelines developed during a workshop that focused on addressing the higher failure rate observed when removing rats from tropical islands. Project partners developed a decision-making process to assess the risks to success posed by environmental conditions and established go/no-go decision points leading up to implementation. Observed environmental conditions appeared suitable, and the operation was completed using aerial broadcast of bait in two applications with a target sowing rate of 34 kg/ha separated by 22 days. Application rates achieved on the ground were stratified such that anticipated high risk areas in the cliff s and valleys received additional bait. We consider the following to be key to the success of the second attempt: 1) monitoring environmental conditions prior to the operation, and proceeding only if conditions were conducive to success, 2) reinterpretation of bait availability data using the lower 99% confidence interval to inform application rates and ensure sufficient coverage across the entire island, 3) treating the two applications as independent, 4) increasing the interval between applications, 5) seeking regulatory approval to give the operational team sufficient flexibility to ensure a minimum application rate at every point on the island, and 6) being responsive to operational monitoring and making any necessary adjustments.
The Falkland Islands have been affected by anthropogenic-induced habitat modifi cation including introduction of invasive species and grazing by livestock. Introduced Norway rats are known to have a large effect on native Falklands passerines but their effect on other native birds has not been explored. We investigated the effects of several environmental
variables, including the presence of Norway rats and chronic grazing by livestock, on an assemblage of 22 species of coastal waterbirds by comparing species richness and relative abundance of birds among 65 rat-infested islands, 29 rat eradicated islands and 76 historically rat-free islands. Bird count data from 299 km of coastline were used to estimate
relative bird abundance, expressed as the number of individuals per kilometre of coastline for each species. Our study provided three key results. First, coastal waterbird abundance on islands historically without rats was twice as high as that on islands where rats were present. Second, bird abundance on rat-eradicated islands was intermediate between that of
historically rat-free and rat-infested islands. Third, habitat modification by grazing appeared to reduce bird abundance in both rat-free and rat-infested habitats. From a conservation perspective, this study suggests that rat eradication programmes in the Falkland Islands are effective at restoring coastal waterbird abundance and would be even more so if carried out in conjunction with restoration of native coastal plant communities.
Earths most highly threatened terrestrial insular vertebrates (111 of 1,184 species). Of these, 107 islands were in 34 countries and territories and could have eradication projects initiated by 2020. Concentrating efforts to eradicate invasive mammals on these 107 islands would benefit 151 populations of 80 highly threatened vertebrates and make a major contribution towards achieving global conservation targets adopted by the worlds nations.
Invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) were successfully eradicated during 2012 from Pinzon Island in the Galapagos archipelago using the rodenticide brodifacoum. Potential exposure to brodifacoum in Pinzon tortoises (Chelonoidis ephippium), Pinzon lava lizards (Microlophus duncanensis) and Galapagos hawks (Buteo galapagoensis) was mitigated by captive holding of subpopulations. This was successful for all species during and shortly after baiting, however mortality of Galapagos hawks occurred post-release, likely due to the persistence of residual brodifacoum in lava lizards. Since 2013, Pinzon tortoise hatchlings are surviving in-situ for the fi rst time in at least 120 years and the eradication of black rats is expected to have significant benefits for at least 15 other island-endemic species.
Invasive rodents are present on approximately 80% of the worlds islands and constitute one of the most serious threats to island biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The eradication of rodents is central to island conservation eff orts and the aerial broadcast of rodenticide bait is the preferred dispersal method. To improve the efficiency of rodent eradication campaigns, the generation of accurate and real-time bait density maps is required. Creating maps to estimate the spatial dispersion of bait on the ground has been carried out using traditional GIS methodologies, which are based on limiting assumptions and are time intensive. To improve accuracy and expedite the evaluation of aerial operations, we developed an algorithm for the numerical estimation of rodenticide density (NERD). The NERD algorithm performs calculations with increased accuracy, displaying results almost in real-time. NERD describes the relationship between bait density, the mass fl ow rate of rodenticide through the bait bucket, and helicopter speed and produces maps of bait density on the ground. NERD also facilitates the planning of helicopter fl ight paths and allows for the instant identification of areas with low or high bait density. During the recent and successful rodent eradication campaign on Banco Chinchorro in Mexico, carried out during 2015, NERD results were used to enable dynamic decision-making in the fi eld and to ensure the efficient use of resources.
The world is facing a biodiversity crisis. Nowhere is that more apparent than on oceanic islands where invasive species are a major threat for island biodiversity. Rats are one of the most detrimental of these and have been the target of numerous eradication programmes; a well-established conservation tool for island systems. For at-risk native species inhabiting large, populated islands, where rat eradication is not an option, control of rat populations has been conducted but this requires continuous management and therefore its long-term viability (and that of the at-risk native species which the project aims to protect) can be uncertain. Large-scale rat management areas or mainland islands have been successfully developed in New Zealand. However, large-scale management is a long-term investment with huge financial implications and committing to such an investment can be met with reluctance. This reluctance, and its subsequent hindrance to decision-making, can be caused by uncertainty relating to species conservation outcomes, and the multiple objectives of stakeholders. We address the issue of uncertainty and the importance of communication between all stakeholder parties in relation to the Mauritius olive white-eye (Zosterops chloronothos), a critically endangered passerine endemic to Mauritius and highly threatened by invasive rats. Specifically, we illustrate how the combination of scientific research and communication, knowledge exchange, and stakeholder workshops, can address some of the barriers of decision-making, helping to bridge the research-management gap, and enable the timely expansion of existing rat management for the benefit of this highly threatened bird.
The Chagos Archipelago comprises some 58 islands covering 5,000 ha in the centre of the Indian Ocean. Black rats (Rattus rattus) were introduced about 230 years ago and have likely had a severe impact on the native terrestrial fauna, which is dominated by seabirds and land crabs. Most of the archipelagos terrestrial land mass is vegetated with old coconut plantations, with over 75% of the native forest cleared for coconut from 26 of the largest islands. Likely as a result of this colonisation and clearance, at least 30 islands have rats present (95.3% of the Chagos landmass) along with feral cats (Felis catus) on 62%, which suppresses the recovery of native fauna and fl ora. Efforts at rat eradication include the failed attempt on Eagle Island (252 ha) in the northern Chagos Archipelago in 2006 and the recent success of a ground-based eradication on Île Vache Marine in 2014, where two applications of brodifacoum poison were hand-spread at a rate of 18 kg/ha. Two islets on the nearby Salomon atoll were also cleared of black rats during the same operation with single bait applications. The 2014 operation was successful on what are regarded as difficult islands for rat eradication, being wet tropical islands with land crabs and coconut plantations present, and has engendered confidence to proceed with additional rat eradications on other northern Chagos islands.