Book of Hope case study Macquarie Island restored through pest eradication

Project 6.4

The project succeeded in increasing the capacity of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service to undertake island pest eradications. Cat and rodent eradications have been achieved or are now underway on other Tasmanian islands. Native species are recovering. Baiting saw some non-target mortalities of species including the threatened northern giant petrel, although its breeding population is now back to pre-baiting levels. BirdLife Australia downlisted eight seabird taxa on the Australian IUCN Red List in 2016 due to the reduction Regeneration on Macquarie Island after eradication (Razorback 2005 and 2014). Images Keith Springer of threats on Macquarie Island. Macquarie Island is located in the In this case, success was defined As a result of these systematic Southern Ocean about halfway as the eradication of every single and strategic eradications, the between New Zealand and Antarctica. individual of the pest species. ecosystems of Macquarie Island It comprises a land area of 12,865 ha, Any other outcome is failure. are recovering rapidly. with many small offshore rock stacks. Cats were eradicated first, with The future It is a Tasmanian Nature Reserve control measures starting in the and a World Heritage Site. Key to the future is ensuring that 1970s and culminating in pests do not re-establish. Soon after its discovery in 1810, its eradication by 2001. rich seal and penguin stocks were The two extinct endemic land subject to massive exploitation, Attention then turned to the bird taxa both have close relatives Human activity introduced mammals eradication of the remaining three elsewhere. These extant species to Macquarie Island during the 19th introduced animal species in a could possibly be introduced to the Century, and they quickly became combined operation. Once thought island to fill the ecological niches established. From the 1950s it was impossible to achieve, it was their relatives once occupied. recognised that the introduced pests made feasible by the early 2000s Macquarie Island’s recovery is also – rabbits, ship rats, mice and cats – due to advances in methodology a symbol of hope for many other were seriously impacting native and technology. Tasmania Parks islands elsewhere: pests species can vegetation and fauna. and Wildlife Service declared the be eradicated, and such ambitious successful eradication of rabbits, eradication programs can achieve Two endemic land bird taxa have rats and mice in April 2014. been extinct since the late 19th lasting and substantial benefits. century due to pest predation – Gauging success More information the Macquarie Island parakeet The Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Keith Springer (2018) Eradication of and the Macquarie Island rail. Project can be considered successful invasive species on Macquarie Island on several grounds. Restoration by eradication to restore the natural ecosystem. The management goal was to The project eradicated rabbits, In Recovering Australian Threatened eradicate mammalian pests in ship rats and mice from the island. Species: A Book of Hope. (Eds S order to protect many of the Macquarie Island is the largest island Garnett, P Latch, D Lindenmayer, island’s threatened and declining worldwide where these three J Woinarski) pp 13-22. CSIRO plant and animal species. species have been eradicated. Publishing, Melbourne.

This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program.