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The Orkney Islands, o? the north-east coast of Scotland, support highly significant?cant cultural and natural heritage. The combined land area of the 70 islands is 990 km2 (380 sq mi), 1% of the UK, but they host over 20% of the UK’s breeding hen harriers (Circus cyaneus) (declining over much of its mainland range), 8% of breeding curlews (Numenius arquata) (one of only two UK populations not in decline) and an internationally important assemblage of breeding seabirds. The Orkney Islands are naturally free of mammalian predators, and all bird species, including raptors, are ground-nesting in the largely treeless landscape. Rats (Rattus spp.), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and feral cats (Felis catus) are present across the archipelago. Stoats (Mustela erminea) are native to mainland UK but not Orkney, yet were detected on Orkney Mainland in 2010. Orkney Mainland has an area of 523 km2 (202 sq mi). Early attempts at removing them were not successful. By 2013 stoats were present across the Orkney Mainland and connected isles. In 2016, SNH and RSPB formed a partnership to eradicate stoats to protect the native wildlife and designated sites of the Orkney islands, and to secure the wider socio-economic and cultural bene?ts of thriving native wildlife. Di?culties faced in developing the project include predicting the e? ort required to remove stoats at a rate faster than they can reproduce, securing community support and access to private land and, in particular, funding large scale biodiversity restoration projects. A feasibility study determined that stoat eradication would be possible using DOC200 kill traps, and search dogs in later stages of the eradication. There are no legally available poisons that could be used on stoats in the UK. A Biosecurity Plan has been produced for the archipelago, with a current focus on preventing the spread of stoats to the uninvaded isles. The partnership is working to secure funds and community support for what will be the world’s largest stoat eradication attempted to date. We present the ?ndings of the feasibility study and our proposed methodology.

A successful ground-based eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus) was undertaken on the remote, uninhabited Shiant Isles of north-west Scotland over winter (14 October–28 March) 2015–16. The rat eradication was carried out as part of the Shiants Seabird Recovery Project, which aims to secure long-term breeding habitat for protected seabirds and to attract European storm petrels and Manx shearwaters to nest on the Shiants. Throughout the eradication operation, teams were stationed on two of the three main Shiant islands (Eilean an Tighe, Eilean Mhuire), with access to the third (Garbh Eilean) via a boulder causeway from Eilean an Tighe. Bait (Contrac® blocks containing the anticoagulant bromadiolone 0.005% w/w), was deployed in a grid of 1,183 bait stations covering all areas of the islands and sea stacks. Bait stations were set 50 m apart, with intervals reduced to 25 m in coastal areas of predicted high rat density. Difficult areas were accessed by boat and cliff s of ~120 m in height were accessed by abseiling down ropes made safe using either bolted anchors or ground stakes. The team of staff and volunteers worked through difficult conditions, deploying bait and monitoring intensively for any surviving rats using a combination of tools. The islands were declared rat free in March 2018. This ambitious and challenging project has greatly enhanced UK capacity in rodent eradications for the purposes of conservation.

The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (IPCC AR4) Working Group II (2007) identifies small island states as being among the most vulnerable countries of the world to the adverse impacts of climate change. Hay, el al.y (2003) in discussing the Pacific's observed climate noted that compared to earlier historical records during the twentieth century, the southern Pacific had experienced a significantly drier and warmer climate (by 15 percent and 0.8°C, respectively). The Central Equatorial Pacific is facing more intensive rain (about 30 percent) and a similarly hotter climate (0.6°C), and sea surface temperatures in both areas have increased by about 0.4°C. These conditions are linked to an increased frequency of El Nino episodes since the 1970s (without alternating La Nina events). Other studies show that climate projections for the South Pacific indicate warming of 0.8 to 1.8°C and precipitation changes that range from -8 to +7 percent by mid-century (Ruosteenoja, el ai, 2003). By the end of the century, projected warming is 1.0 to 3.1°C and precipitation changes range from -14 to +14 percent. Projections of globally averaged sea-level rise range from 0.18 m to 0.58 m in 2090-2099 relative to 1980-1999; while tropical cyclones are likely to become more intense, have higher peak wind speeds, and bring heavier rainfall (IPCC, 2007). Thus, it is clear that there are winners and losers when it comes to climate and food security with mostly the countries in the mid to higher latitudes benefiting from global warming and the small island countries of the Pacific in the warmer latitudes standing to lose the most. The IPCC has concluded that the mounting evidence shows that climate change is unequivocally happening and may worsen in future; there is a need to act urgently to minimize these impacts.