English 
Français 
Español 
Marion’s 80th Overwintering Team displays its banner on the island, photograph from Michelle Risi (standing fourth from left)
The 2023/24 Overwintering Team (M80) on South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island posed this past week with a banner to mark yesterday’s World Albatross Day with its theme of “Plastic Pollution”. The whole team came out for the photograph of the banner, designed on the island by team member and seabird researcher, Michelle Risi. Michelle is a long-term supporter of ACAP; indeed, in 2018 she proposed that ACAP should initiate a World Albatross Day and she designed all ACAP’s posters for the day for its first three years.
At risk to mice: a Grey-headed Albatross on Marion Island; photograph and poster design by Michelle Risi
Four species of albatrosses breed regularly on Marion Island, all are categorized as globally threatened. These four species, Grey-headed Thalassarche chrysostoma, Light-mantled Phoebetria palpebrata, Sooty P. fusca and Wandering Diomedea exulans, have all been victims of attacks by the island’s introduced House Mice, leading to mortalities of both adults and chicks. As a consequence, the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project was established to eradicate the mice, currently planned to take place in winter 2025. The project is a joint effort by the environmental NGO BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate. 
To support ACAP’s awareness raising, BirdLife South Africa on behalf of the MFM Project has sponsored the production of three posters in the ACAP Species Infographic series, for the Light-mantled, Sooty and Wandering Albatrosses; an infographic for the Grey-headed Albatross has been sponsored by the Australian Antarctic Program. All four infographics, by Thai illustrator, Namasri ‘Namo’ Niumim, draw attention to the deleterious effects of Marion’s mice. The infographics may be freely downloaded from here at a high resolution to allow for printing professionally in two poster sizes (approximately A2 and A3). Please note they are only being made available by ACAP when engaging in activities that will aid in drawing attention to the conservation crisis being faced by the world’s albatrosses and petrels, or for personal use. They should not be used for personal gain.
Making the banner: first computer design, then projecting onto a sheet for lettering by hand. From left: Michelle Risi, Zafar Monier and Tammy Eggeling, photographs by Chris Jones and Michelle Risi
With grateful thanks to Michelle Risi and Marion Island’s 80th Overwintering Team for their support. Team members Tammy Eggeling, Chris Jones and Zafar Monier helped Michelle make the banner.
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 20 June 2023