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The electronic newsletter of the Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN) - reporting on invasives news from PILN teams and the Pacific region. Past issues are available online.

Small states face a uniques set of development challenges posed by their small size, narrow production and export bases, and vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

Survey, quesstionnaire to be complete, so it will formulate the first draft of the next Framework (for the period 2020-2025) to be presented for feedback at the 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in Noumea, New Caledonia 2020.

The inhabited Isles of Scilly, 45 km off the south-western tip of the UK, are home to 13 seabird species including European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) and Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), for which the UK has a global responsibility. Between 1983 and 2006, the overall seabird population in Scilly declined by c.25%. This decline triggered the establishment of the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project, a partnership with the aims to reverse seabird decline and engage the local community and visitors in conserving Scilly’s seabird heritage. The eradication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from St Agnes and Gugh represented the result of over a decade of preparatory work, involving raising awareness and gaining 100% support from the community. The two islands are home to 85 people. Therefore additional, and somewhat unusual, preparations were required (including clearing sheds, communicating with school children and taking precautions to ensure the safety of pets) during the ground-based baiting operation. In 2016 St Agnes and Gugh were officially declared ‘rat-free’, meaning worldwide this is one of the largest community-based eradications to have been successful. Biosecurity on inhabited islands is complex, so to ensure the project’s sustainability, eff orts have been community-led. The community has taken ownership of protecting its seabirds, with 100% saying rat removal and the subsequent increase in seabirds has had, or will have, a positive effect on ecotourism, a key source of income for the islands. No less than 68% of the community said their businesses have directly benefited. This project represents a case study for other community-based projects, showcasing how eradications can gain community support and benefit both wildlife and human populations.

Pacific Climate Change Centre handing over document, 2019.

The present study, commissioned by the French Agency for Biodiversity (Agence française pour la biodiversité, AFB), is part of the "Pacific Biodiversity Blue Belt" project. It covers four Pacific island Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs): French Polynesia (PF), New Caledonia (NC), Wallis & Futuna (WF) and Pitcairn (Pi). |Dans le cadre du projet Pacific Biodiversity Blue Belt BEST2.0, coordonné par le Programme Régional Océanien pour l’Environnement (PROE), en partenariat avec l’Agence française pour la biodiversité (AFB), une étude a été réalisée en 2018 à destination des gestionnaires afin de proposer un outil d’aide à la décision relative à l’utilisation de technologies de surveillance des activités humaines dans les aires marines protégées/gérées. Cette étude propose une synthèse des contextes, des activités maritimes et des dispositifs actuels de surveillance, enrichie d'une revue complète des technologies de 2018 adaptées à la surveillance des activités anthropiques en mer. Un outil d’aide à la sélection de solutions technologiques est ensuite présenté, fondé sur une approche multicritères répondant aux besoins exprimés par les gestionnaires.

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.

As part of the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project, and directed by Wildlife Management International Ltd, the eradication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the inhabited islands of St Agnes & Gugh, Isles of Scilly was completed between October 2013 and April 2014 with the assistance of volunteers, and staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and Natural England. Bait stations with cereal-based wax blocks containing bromadiolone at 0.005% w/w were established on a 40–50 metre grid over the island. With the presence of 85 residents on the 142 ha islands, this is the largest community-based brown rat eradication globally to date. Given the fact that a community is based on these islands, community engagement and advocacy was a vital and fundamental part of the eradication. Consultation for eradication began three years prior to the operation to explain the requirements for the proposed project and to assess support, but this built on many years of wider community engagement with seabird conservation. All of the residents supported the eradication of rats and vision of the project. The consultation and inclusion of the community in decision-making and management of the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project was a critical part of the operation and key to the success of the eradication. The community took ownership of the project and has committed to the on-going biosecurity requirements following the eradication of rats. The removal of brown rats from St Agnes and Gugh was a major achievement and provided the opportunity to restore the islands' communities of seabirds and other native species. This project provided an example of the effectiveness of ground-based rodent eradication techniques on an inhabited island and the lessons learnt during this operation can be used to help proposed eradications on other islands with communities and with terrain suitable for ground-based techniques.

Rat eradication techniques developed in New Zealand are a proven method for removing invasive rodents from islands worldwide. This technology moved rapidly from ground-based bait station operations to aerial application of rodenticides. Rat eradications on tropical islands using similar methods, have not always been as successful as those in temperate regions. As most previous eradications in the Caribbean have been on islands smaller than 50 ha, the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus) from 207 ha Dog Island was a significant increase in size. Reptile and seabird populations on Dog Island had been in decline for a number of years and black rats were identified as the most likely factor. Following the feasibility study in 2007, the Dog Island Recovery Project was launched in 2011. This was a multiple-year project incorporating a ground-based eradication with establishment of biosecurity procedures to prevent reinvasion, alongside long-term monitoring of native species. Bait stations with cereal-based wax blocks containing brodifacoum at 0.005% w/w were established on a 30–50 m grid over the island. Interference with bait stations by non-target invertebrates, particularly crabs, was high and bait stations required moving or elevating to avoid this. However, there was no evidence of any non-target animals being killed or injured by the bait. Eradication success was confirmed in 2014.

It is with great pleasure that I send out the Soundbites for the year of 2018. For most of us this time of the year is a mix of trying to get everything completed at work on time and planning what we are doing with our families over the up-coming festive season.