State of the Islands Victoria Michael Johnston1 and Mike Stevens2 1Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research 2 Parks Victoria Victoria – Island overview • > 90 islands • 37 islands > 20 ha • Largest is 170km2 • Exotic species recorded on 49 islands* • 9 have semi or permanent residents Land tenure • Parks Victoria manages 90% • Other management – – 1 Commonwealth DoD / Golf Course – 1 Local government – Privately owned: 2 in Western Port, 2 in Nooramunga archipelago – Multiple land owners: French and Phillip Summary Island Species Outcome Gabo Feral cat Success Saint Margaret Fox Success but reinvaded Dream Fox Success but reinvaded Snake Chital Population failed to establish Sunday Feral cat Success Rabbit Rabbit Success Citadel Rabbit, black rat Success / population failure? Great Glennie Black rat Success / population failure? Bennison Rabbit Population failure Cliffy Cat Success French Pig, Hog Deer, Success Quail Pig, Fox In progress Churchill Fox, Cat Success Mud Rabbit Success / population failure? Deen Maar (LJP) Rabbit Unsuccessful Middle Fox Success Gabo Island • 154 ha • Feral cat eradication 1987 -1991 • Trapping, shooting, Poisoning (1080) • Twyford et al (2000) Ecological Management & Restoration, 1: 42–49 Sunday Island • 1620 ha • Owned by Para Park Cooperative Game Reserve Limited since 1965 • “Conservation is alive and well” “Objective # 2. To conserve the game animals and birds, which at present inhabit the island. To compliment these with other game species which are both suitable and desirable as decided by unanimous decision of the Game Management Panel. To control noxious animals and birds.” Middle Island • Fox predation lead to declines in Little Penguin population – 4 in 2005 • Maremma guardian dogs introduced 2006 • 100 penguins in 2010 • Some ‘teething’ problems…. – but dogs also used successfully at Point Danger with gannet colony. Phillip Island • 100 km2 • ~7000 residents. Peak summer period may swell to 40,000. • Land Use: Agriculture, Nature Parks, Tourism, Automotive sport, Residential • 1980’s - Phillip Island Nature Parks initiated a fox control program to conserve ground nesting birds. • 2007 - comprehensive island-wide baiting commenced. • Trapping, spotlighting, hunting, detector dogs and den fumigation continues. • Berry & Kirkwood 2010, Journal of Wildlife Management, 74(8): 1661-1670. French Island • 170 km2 • Unincorporated locality • 120 km2 managed as National Park • Ecological values both flora and fauna • Koala introduction 1890s • Established pop’ns of invasive species • No biosecurity Future Island Restorations in Vic. Four step process is required: 1. Scoping - What are the priority islands? - How do we prioritise islands (size + condition + threats + assets + community support + feasibility)? - What conservation outcomes are we trying to achieve? 2. Survey - What is the scale of the threat, what do we have left (i.e. systematic survey of islands)? Future Island Restorations in Vic. 3. Priority threat management – Eg. 1. Deen Maar (Lady Julia Percy), rabbits impacting shearwaters – Eg. 2. Gabo Is., brown rats impacting birds – Eg. 3. French Is., goats, sambar, cats 4. Island restoration – what is it? - is revegetation required to improve habitat – translocations, helping local species? – reintroductions, locally extinct species? – introductions, safeguarding mainland species? Issues • Limited $ currently available • Investment for sound planning is essential • Communicate, educate and inform rationale for island restoration and how it stacks up against mainland programs • Making island restoration a priority • Access to appropriate expertise .