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A helicopter flies past the research station on Marion Island, photograph by Otto Whitehead
The Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project has made a Call for Expressions of Interest: Helicopter Services for an Aerial Baiting Trial on Marion Island during April-May 2027.
This Light-mantled Albatross Phoebastria palpebrata chick was scalped at night by House Mice on Marion Island; it did not survive. Photograph by Peter Ryan
“Marion Island — a sub-Antarctic island and part of South Africa’s only Special Nature Reserve — is facing a serious and escalating conservation crisis. House Mice, accidentally introduced in the early 19th century, have in recent years begun preying on the island’s globally important populations of albatrosses and petrels. This predation is increasing and is considered unsustainable, placing many seabird species at risk of local extinction.
The MFM Project has been established to eradicate invasive mice from the island and remove this threat. The Project is a partnership between BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. The full eradication operation will involve a complex, island-wide aerial baiting programme and represents one of the most significant island restoration initiatives currently being undertaken globally.
As part of detailed planning and to ensure operational readiness for the main project, an aerial baiting trial (of approximately 1000 hectares) will be conducted on Marion Island in April–May 2027. The trial is intended to evaluate key elements of the baiting strategy, test operational systems and equipment, and refine logistical coordination under Marion Island’s challenging conditions. The operation will require the deployment of a single helicopter and a pilot with demonstrated aerial-baiting experience.
The MFM Project is therefore inviting Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified helicopter companies with the demonstrated technical experience and expertise and the operational capacity to undertake this trial in a remote, logistically complex, and environmentally demanding setting.”
The detailed Expression of Interest (EOI) document provides comprehensive information on Marion Island, the conservation challenge posed by invasive mice, the proposed eradication methodology, and the specific requirements for helicopter services for the aerial baiting trial.
Note this EOI relates specifically to the aerial baiting trial, not to the full eradication operation.
To request the EOI documentation contact
The deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest is 27 March 2026.
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 17 February 2026