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Richard Phillips of the British Antarctic Survey, and Convenor of the ACAP Breeding Sites Working Group, has published an editorial in the Australian journal Emu Austral Ornithology reviewing the presence of alien mammals on islands - and what might best be done about them.

The paper's conclusions follow:

"Given the clear evidence for impacts of invasive species on birds, and the focus on mitigating and reversing biodiversity loss generated by the International Year of Biodiversity, the time is now ripe for conservation managers and researchers to make a difference at the grass-roots level.  There is sufficient information available that with good planning and advice from an eradication expert, campaigns to eliminate invasive mammals from small islands (<500 ha) can be achieved with relatively modest budgets and small teams (5-10 people).  It is important to caution that despite many recent successes, the effort needed to eradicate introduced mammals should not be underestimated, as indicated by the failure of several well-resourced programmes for a variety of reasons, including inadequate baiting regimes, competition for bait from terrestrial invertebrates, deviation from agreed protocols, problems with nontarget poisoning leading to cancellation, lack of funding and public support.  Nevertheless, by widening awareness of the available technology and expertise, learning lessons from past campaigns, and considering ecosystemwide implications, both the political will and opportunities for eradications and the associated research are currently unprecedented."

There are introduced mammals present on many islands on which ACAP species currently breed, and attempts are underway, or are planned, for their removal from several of them, as regularly publicized on this web site.  Richard Phillips has also produced, on behalf of ACAP, a document entitled "Guidelines for Eradication of Introduced Mammals from Breeding Sites of ACAP-listed Seabirds" (to access click here).

Reference:

Phillips, R.A. 2010.  Eradications of invasive mammals from islands: why, where, how and what next?  Emu 110: i-vii.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 4 February 2011