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Technical Report on the Eradication of Black Rats (Rattus Rattus)

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Technical Report on the Eradication of Black Rats (Rattus Rattus) REDONDA RESTORATION PROGRAMME: Technical report on the eradication of black rats ( Rattus rattus) from Redonda, Antigua & Barbuda Cover illustration: Magnificent frigatebirds, Fregata magnificens, on their nest sites on Redonda (Photo: Elizabeth Bell, WMIL). THE OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF THE PARTNER ORGANISATIONS OF THE REDONDA RESTORATION PROGRAMME. PUBLISHED BY: Redonda Restoration Programme, St. John’s, Antigua RECOMMENDED CITATION: Bell, E.A., Ibbotson, J. & Daltry, J.C. (2017) Technical report on the eradication of black rats Rattus rattus from Redonda, Antigua and Barbuda. Report from Wildlife Management International Ltd and Fauna & Flora International to the Redonda Restoration Programme, St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. Author details: Ms. Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Bell Dr Jenny Daltry, FRGS Senior Ecologist Head of Caribbean and Senior Conservation Biologist Wildlife Management International Ltd Fauna & Flora International PO Box 607, The David Attenborough Building Blenheim 7240 Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ New Zealand United Kingdom United Kingdom www.wmil.co.nz www.fauna‐flora.org Email: [email protected] Email: jenny.daltry@fauna‐flora.org Mr. Jack Ibbotson Loddon, Main Street Long Riston East Yorkshire United Kingdom Email: [email protected] All photographs in this report are copyright ©WMIL unless otherwise credited, in which case the person or organization credited is the copyright holder. The Redonda Restoration Programme was launched in 2016 by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, Environmental Awareness Group, British Mountaineering Council, Fauna & Flora International, Island Conservation and Wildlife Management International Ltd. This partnership is working to rehabilitate Redonda into a healthy island ecosystem that is sustainably managed for the conservation of indigenous biodiversity, and to preserve Redonda’s important historical values and facilitate the sustainable use and enjoyment of Redonda by present and future generations. The development of this plan was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Darwin Initiative (#23‐003: Eradicating Invasive Species from the Highest Priority Caribbean Island). Bell, Ibbotson & Daltry i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Redonda has been internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area and supports rare and unique animals and plants of both national and global importance, including seabirds such as magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens, masked booby Sula dactylatra, red‐ footed booby S. sula and brown booby S. leucogaster, as well as smaller numbers of red‐ billed tropic bird Phaethon aethereus, brown noddy Anous stolidus and bridled tern Sterna anaethetus and endemic reptiles such as the Redonda ground lizard Ameiva atrata and Redonda tree lizard Anolis nubilus and an unnamed dwarf gecko (Sphaerodactylus sp.) 2. The Redonda Restoration Programme is a collaborative programme of the Government of Antigua & Barbuda, Environmental Awareness Group (EAG), Fauna & Flora International (FFI), British Mountaineering Council (BMC), Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL) and Island Conservation (IC), with support from Darwin Initiative through UK Government funding, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Taurus Foundation, Global Wildlife Conservation, Syngenta Crop Protection AG and Caribbean Helicopters Ltd. 3. This partnership is working to rehabilitate Redonda into a healthy island ecosystem that is sustainably managed for the conservation of indigenous biodiversity, and to preserve Redonda’s important historical values and facilitate the sustainable use and enjoyment of Redonda by present and future generations. 4. Redonda has a large population of invasive alien black rats (Rattus rattus). Together with feral goats (Capra hircus, which are to be relocated), these rodents are heavily implicated in the severe and ongoing decline of the island’s vegetation and native wildlife populations, and a number of species have become extinct. The once‐forested island has reached advanced stages of desertification. 5. The eradication of black rats from Redonda was completed using a combination of ground‐ based and aerial methods between 13 February and 7 April 2017. 6. There were 327 bait stations on the top of the island completed using ground personnel. 7. There were 95 bait stations and bait points on the cliffs completed using rope‐access personnel. 8. There was approximately 26 hectares completed by aerial application of bait from a helicopter. 9. Grain‐based wax blocks (Klerat® and Final®) containing brodifacoum were used. Bait stations contained 20g blocks and 5g blocks were used for broadcasting from the helicopter or by hand. 10. The eradication of black rats from Redonda appears to be successful with the last rat sign recorded on 8 March 2017. 11. Rats consumed approximately 170 kg of bait in the bait stations on the top, beaches and cliff‐access areas of the island. 12. The rat population was high. It was estimated that there were between 5000 and 7500 rats present on Redonda. 13. In line with common international practice, Redonda can only be officially declared rat‐free if no further signs of rats are detected within two years (April 2019). 14. Bait station interference by land crabs was high. Bell, Ibbotson & Daltry i 15. Except for one peregrine falcon, there was no evidence that other non‐target species were affected by the eradication project. 16. Redonda Restoration Programme, Environmental Awareness Group and Department of Environment staff and volunteers were trained in eradication, long‐term monitoring and rodent detection techniques. 17. Although the birds were not found, Audubon’s shearwaters were recorded calling on the ground for the first time on Redonda. 18. Long‐term monitoring of 39 permanent bait stations will be carried out by Redonda Restoration Programme, Environmental Awareness Group and Department of Environment staff and volunteers between April 2017 and March 2019. 19. Biosecurity measures such as permanent bait stations and monitoring points were established on the island following the completion of the eradication operation. These points will be monitored indefinitely by Redonda Restoration Programme, Environmental Awareness Group and Department of Environment staff and volunteers as part of the biosecurity requirements to maintain the rat‐free status of Redonda. 20. Research and monitoring of the seabirds, land birds, reptiles and vegetation should continue after the eradication programme to assess the effects of removing rats on the Redonda ecosystem. Redonda Restoration Programme, Environmental Awareness Group, Department of Environment staff and volunteers and other researchers from groups such as RSPB should undertake this work with technical support from Fauna & Flora International. Bell, Ibbotson & Daltry ii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i TABLE OF CONTENTS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TECHNICAL REPORT OF THE ERADICATION OF BLACK RATS (RATTUS RATTUS) FROM REDONDA, ANTIGUA & BARBUDA 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 REDONDA 2 1.2 BLACK RAT, RATTUS RATTUS 7 2 GOAL AND OBJECTIVE OF REDONDA RAT ERADICATION 8 3 METHODS OF THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION OPERATION 8 3.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GROUND BAIT STATION GRID 9 3.1.1 BAIT STATION DESIGN .... 9 3.1.2 GRID DENSITY .... 9 3.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CLIFF AND ROPE‐ACCESS BAIT STATION GRID 11 3.3 AERIAL APPLICATION AREA 13 3.4 POISONING PHASE OF THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION 14 3.4.1 POISON TYPE USED FOR THE DOG ISLAND RAT ERADICATION .... 14 3.4.2 POISONING PHASE OF THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION .... 15 3.5 TRAPPING 18 3.6 INTENSIVE MONITORING PHASE OF THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION 18 3.7 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PERMANENT BAIT STATION (LONG‐TERM MONITORING) SYSTEM ON REDONDA 18 4 RESULTS 19 4.1 BAIT ACCEPTANCE AND BAIT TAKE BY RATS 19 4.2 MONITORING FOR RATS 24 4.2.1 LONG‐TERM MONITORING FOLLOWING RAT ERADICATION ON REDONDA .... 26 4.3 INTERFERENCE BY NON‐TARGET SPECIES 26 4.3.1 INTERFERENCE ON BAIT AND BAIT STATIONS BY NON‐ TARGET SPECIES .... 26 4.3.2 INTERFERENCE ON MONITORING POINTS BY NON‐ TARGET SPECIES .... 31 4.4 OTHER OBSERVATIONS DURING THE RAT ERADICAITON ON REDONDA 34 Bell, Ibbotson & Daltry iii 4.4.1 LIZARD OBSERVATIONS DURING THE RAT ERADICATION ON REDONDA .... 34 4.4.2 BIRD OBSERVATIONS DURING THE RAT ERADICATION ON REDONDA .... 34 5 PROBLEMS DURING THE RAT ERADICATION ON REDONDA 34 5.1 ACCESS GULLY 35 5.2 NON‐TARGET SPECIES 35 6 VERIFYING THE RAT ERADICATION OPERATION ON REDONDA WAS SUCCESSFUL 36 7 BIODIVERSITY MONITORING 38 8 BIOSECURITY 38 9 CONCLUSIONS 40 10 RECOMMENDATIONS 41 11 REFERENCES 42 12 APPENDICES 47 12.1 TIMETABLE OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION (29 JANUARY TO 13 APRIL 2017) 47 12.2 BIRDS SEEN DURING THE REDONDA RAT ERADICATION (JANUARY TO APRIL 2017) 54 12.3 RATS TRAPPED OR RECOVERED ON THE SURFACE DURING THE REDONDA PRE‐ASSESSMENT VISIT (JULY 2016) AND RAT ERADICATION (JANUARY TO APRIL 2017) 56 Bell, Ibbotson & Daltry iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was carried out under the auspices of the Redonda Restoration Programme, a collaborative programme of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, Environmental Awareness Group (EAG), British Mountaineering Council (BMC), Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Island Conservation and Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL). This programme was launched in 2016 with funding from Darwin Initiative through UK Government funding (grant #23‐003), National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and Global Wildlife Conservation, and additional technical and material support from Caribbean
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