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Collection Biodiversity Conservation
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Ua Pou islets (Motu Oa, Takahe and Mokohe) monitoring plan

SPREP Publications, Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Cranwell, S. (Birdlife International)

Withers, T. (SOP Manu)

The tropical Marquesas islands are characterised by their isolation and high levels of endemicity among native fauna and flora. This includes forty-two percent of the 320 native vascular plants and a diverse terrestrial snail community, with at least 78 species represented. Of the 12 native land birds 11 occur only within the archipelago, several restricted to a single island. Nineteen species of seabird breed there including the most eastern population of the Endangered Phoenix Petrel. Monitoring of seabirds and other species before, during and after the project will inform the impact of removing rats from these islets including how endangered species respond and community interest.

Operational plan for eradication of Pacific Rats Rattus exulans from Motu Mokohae, Motu Takahe, & Motu Oa, at Ua Pou (Marquesas), French Polynesia

SPREP Publications, Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Harper, GA

The operational plan for the eradication of Pacific rats Rattus exulans from Motu Mokohae, Motu Takahe, & Motu Oa, at Ua Pou (combined area; 50ha, Marquesas), French Polynesia, establishes the methodology, responsibilities and tasks required for the implementation of the proposed eradication operation.

Tokelau/Kimoa Rat, feral pig and feral cat eradication Operational Plan

SPREP Publications, Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Jacques, P.

This operational plan presents the methodology and logistics for executing eradications of Pacific rats (Rattus exulans), Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) and feral cats (Felis catus) in Tokelau. This document stems directly from a feasibility report completed in January 2024. For details on the site, biodiversity values, the target species etc, please refer to the feasibility report. Planning issues and dependencies that must be resolved in the planning stage of the eradication were identified in the feasibility report. Pre-eradication trials were proposed to resolve questions around tools and techniques; the methodology for these trials is developed in Section 1 below. This should be used as a “living document”, the contents of which will inevitably change as planning for the eradication proceeds and as the results of pre-eradication trials are reported.

A Review of Feral Cat Eradication on Islands

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Alonso, J.

Donlan, C.J.

Martin, A.

Nogales, M.

Puerta, B.

Tershy, B.R.

Veitch, D.

Wood, B.

We reviewed feral cat eradication campaigns on islands with the primary intent of assessing the approaches, successes, and challenges of these conservation actions to help facilitate future island conservation programs. We reviewed documented impacts of feral cat populations on island ecosystems and the recovery of native populations after cat removal. We then analyzed key aspects of these eradication campaigns to identify future directions and challenges of cat eradication. We compiled data from published and gray literature and personally communicated with over 60 researchers and conservation practitioners, covering most of the world’s insular regions.

Life-history comparisons between the native range and an invasive island population of a colubrid snake

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Alcaraz, S.E.

Fisher, R.N.

Fisher, S.R.

Gallo-Barneto, R.

López Jurado, L.F.

Patino-Martinez, C.

Rochester, C.J.

Invasive snakes can lead to the rapid extinction of endemic vertebrates on insular ecosystems, usually because snakes are an efficient and novel predator. There have been no successful (i.e. complete) eradications to date of invasive snakes on islands. In this study we assess a novel invasion on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The invader, the California king snake (Lampropeltis californiae), arrived from California via several generations in the pet trade. King snakes are captive bred for various phenotypes, and first were detected in the wild on Gran Canaria in the 1990s. Because very little natural history data exist from within their native range, we focused on developing datasets from native habitats to compare with similar data for the introduced snakes in the Canary Islands. We found that most aspects of the snakes life history have not changed since invasion, except that there appears to be a lower level of juvenile recruitment along with an increase in the length and body mass of adult snakes on Gran Canaria. We identified environmental parameters for when capture/trapping could be completed to reduce eff ort and maximize success. Additionally, we show different trap success on the various life stages of the snakes. Risk assessments could be required prior to permitting pet trade or allowing captive bred snakes into regions where they are not native.

Control of the ladder snake (Rhinechis scalaris) on Formentera using experimental live-traps

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Colomar, V.

Fernández, M.J.

Moreno, J.E.

Pico, G.

The ladder snake (Rhinechis scalaris) is a recent alien invasive species found on Formentera (83 km2), in the Balearic Archipelago (4,492 km2). It has been introduced in the last decade as cargo stowaway hidden within ornamental olive trees from the Iberian Peninsula, causing negative impacts on native fauna. This paper describes the methodology used to reduce the ladder snake population as a fi rst attempt since it was detected in 2006. For this purpose, an experimental live-trap was designed by the wildlife management team of the Consorci per a la Recuperació de la Fauna de les Illes Balears (COFIB) during the 2016 campaign. As a result, 314 R. scalaris were trapped in an area of 472 ha, achieving an effi ciency of up to 0.167 captures per trap and night, and 0.040 captures per unit eff ort on average. This outcome encourages the use of the live-trap as a cost-eff ective method for reducing the snake population in Formentera. Nonetheless, this method should be considered a starting point toward R. scalaris control.

Spatial dynamics of invasion and distribution of alien frogs in a biodiversity hotspot archipelago

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Diesmos, A.C.

Diesmos, M.L.L.

Pili, A.N.

Supsup, C.E.

Sy, E.Y.

The endemic-rich amphibian fauna of the Philippine Archipelago (ca. 350,000 km2) includes six alien frogs: the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), Asiatic painted toad (Kaloula pulchra), cane toad (Rhinella marina), Chinese bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus), green paddy frog (Hylarana erythraea), and greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris). The chronological history of their invasion across the Philippines was reconstructed based on historical and geographic data. Subsequently, we estimated their current and potential distribution through species distribution modelling and Gaussian kernel density smoothing species distribution data. Seven known and potential pathways of introduction into and spread throughout the Philippines were identifi ed, namely, intentional introduction as a (1) biocontrol agent and (2) food source; contamination of (3) agriculture trade, (4) aquaculture trade, and (5) ornamental plant trade; (6) stowaway of cargo; and (7) through the exotic pet trade. Spatio-temporal patterns of distribution showed a stratifi ed diff usion process of spread wherein human-mediated jum dispersal is the primary mode followed by diff usion dispersal. The status of the American bullfrog in the Philippines is unresolved, whether it has successfully established. Meanwhile, the other five alien frogs have established populations in the wild, typically the dominant species in both artificial and disturbed habitats, and are continuously spreading throughout the Philippines. Estimates of current and potential distribution indicate that none of the alien frogs has realised its full potential distribution and that the cane toad is the most widespread, occurring in almost all major islands of the Philippines (ca. 85%), while the greenhouse frog is the least distributed, being found so far in eight provinces and on seven islands. In light of these findings, we provide policy and management recommendations for responding to current and future alien frog invasions.

Predation pressures on sooty terns by cats, rats and common mynas on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Dickey, R.C.

Hughes, B.J.

Reynolds, S.J.

Despite the presence of invasive black rats (Rattus rattus), common mynas (Acridotheres tristis), and feral domestic cats (Felis catus), sooty terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) breed in large numbers on Ascension Island in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. These introduced predators impact the terns by destroying eggs or interrupting incubation (mynas), eating eggs (mynas and rats), eating chicks (rats and cats), or eating adults (cats). Between 1990 and 2015, 26 censuses of sooty terns and five of mynas were completed and myna predation was monitored on 10 occasions. Rat relative abundance indices were determined through trapping around the tern colonies and rat predation was monitored by counting chick carcasses. Cat predation was quantified by recording freshly killed terns. Prior to their eradication in 2003, cats had the greatest impact on sooty terns and were depredating 5,800 adults and 3,600 near-fledging chicks (equivalent to the loss of 71,000 eggs) each breeding season. We estimated that 26,000 sooty tern eggs (13% of all those laid) were depredated by approximately 1,000 mynas. Rats were not known to depredate sooty terns prior to cat eradication but in 2005, 131 of 596 ringed (monitored) chicks (22%) were depredated by rats. In 2009 chick carcass density was 0.16 per m2. Predation by rats hugely increased in the absence of cats and was the equivalent of 69,000 eggs. Care is needed when applying our findings to seabirds globally. The scarcity of alternative food sources and seasonally high density of easily available prey in the sooty tern colony may have magnified predation by cats, rats and mynas.

Eradication and control programmes for invasive mynas (Acridotheres spp.) and bulbuls (Pycnonotus spp.): defining best practice in managing invasive bird populations on oceanic islands

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Reynolds, S.J.

Saavedra Cruz, S.

Invasive plants and animals inflict much damage on native species and this is particularly the case on isolated oceanic islands with high degrees of endemism. Such islands commonly are important refugia for species of high conservation value. Some of the most pervasive and potent of invasive animal species are birds of the myna (Acridotheres) and bulbul (Pycnonotus) genera that historically were introduced to isolated islands as biological control agents for the management of insect pest species that can cause considerable economic damage to agricultural crops and wider ecosystems. In this paper we consider a number of successful eradication and control programmes targeting mynas and bulbuls. We review the locations and taxa where 17 such programmes took place and report that the common myna (Acridotheres tristis) has been the most heavily targeted species in eradication eff orts followed by the red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus). Common mynas were also at the focus of control programmes as were jungle mynas (Acridotheres fuscus) and red-vented bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer). By far the most favoured method of eradication and control was trapping whereas mist-netting was employed rarely. We discuss best practice in planning and executing such eradication and control programmes on oceanic islands so as to maximise their benefits to local human communities. We outline measures that must be adopted pre-, during and post-intervention in both programme types. They include adequate resourcing, local engagement and the integration of both traditional ecological knowledge and established conservation theory.

Population assessment of a novel island invasive: tegu (Salvator merianae) of Fernando de Noronha

Biodiversity Conservation, BRB

Available Online

Abrahão, C.R.

Dias, R.A.

Ferreira, F.

Russell, J.C.

Silva, J.C.R.

Fernando de Noronha is an oceanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 345 km off shore from the Brazilian coast. It comprises 21 islands and islets, of which the main island (FN) is 17 km2 with a rapidly growing tourism industry in the last decades. Despite being a protected area and bearing Ramsar and UNESCO World Heritage site status, it is threatened by multiple terrestrial invasive species since its colonisation in the early 16th century. Invasive species and the increasing tourism contributes to a list of at least 15 endangered or critically endangered species according to IUCN criteria. The black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) is the largest lizard in South America, occurring in most of the Brazilian territory and reaching up to 8 kg and 1.6 m from head to tail. As an omnivorous and opportunistic lizard, it feeds on a variety of available items, including smaller vertebrates and eggs. The introduction of the tegu to FN as well as its immediate impact on local fauna were not recorded; however, its ongoing impact is expected to be high. We captured and marked 103 tegu in FN during the months of February and November of 2015 and 2016. We also counted animals by line-transect census in a sparsely inhabited and an uninhabited area of FN. Body size affected the capture probabilities, while season and sex had little or no effect. Densities estimated by capture-recapture in the sparsely inhabited area varied from 2.29 to 8.28 animals/ha according to sampling season. Line transect census in the same area revealed a density of 3.98 (±1.1) animals/ha and in the uninhabited area 13.83 (±3.9) animals/ha. Home range was 10.54 ha, ranging from 7.36 to 15.33 hectares. Tegu activity decreased in the months of July and August of 2015. Results from this study can assist conservation managers and decision makers to implement a science-based tegu management programme in the future.

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