Giving back: the Mouse-Free Marion Project releases an albatross poster with the help of ACAP to thank its many supporters

 
The four albatrosses that breed on Marion Island are all at risk of predation by mice; artwork and poster design by Namasri “Namo” Niumim

Eradicating sub-Antarctic Marion Island’s alien House Mice that have taken to killing albatrosses and petrels will be an expensive operation.  Ensuring that the budget comprehensively covers all essential requirements is of paramount importance, as it greatly enhances the likelihood of attaining a successful outcome.

Fund-raising the hundreds of millions of Rands required is by necessity a long and arduous task, one the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project has been working on assiduously for over five years, with still some way to go before the eradication, currently planned for 2026, can take place.  Over this time the financial support we have received has been hugely encouraging.  Over 1900 individuals and organizations from South Africa and from around the world have contributed to the Sponsor a Hectare appeal, raising nearly seven million Rands to date, with sponsorships coming in regularly.  Along with this crowd-funding initiative, major donations have been received from many trusts, funding bodies and the like and from individuals, some preferring to remain anonymous.

With the recent year having ended in a season broadly considered one for giving, the MFM Project Team has given some thought as to how it can thank its supporters.  All hectare sponsors receive a Certificate of Sponsorship, but the team thought that perhaps, in addition, they would like to have an attractive artwork that can be freely downloaded and framed for display.

The MFM Project’s new “Albatrosses on Marion Island” poster has been produced pro bono for the project by Thai illustrator Namasri 'Namo' Niumim from Bangkok.  Namo, who works in gouache, graduated from the School of Architecture and Design, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design.  The poster depicts the four Marion Island albatrosses, Grey-headed, Light-mantled, Sooty and Wandering, that are all susceptible to predation by mice.  The paintings of each albatross have been taken from an infographic series Namo is producing for all 31 species of albatrosses and petrels listed by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP).  It is pleasing to note that ACAP gave its endorsement to the MFM Project at the last meeting of its Advisory Committee and has now given its approval for its infographic artwork to be used to create the new poster.

The four ACAP Infographics for Marion Island-breeding albatrosses, their printing and framing sponsored by supporters, decorate the MFM Project’s office in BirdLife South Africa’s recently opened Cape Town headquarters

Three of the four ACAP Species Infographics depicting Marion Island albatrosses have been sponsored by BirdLife South Africa on behalf of the MFM Project.  All of them are freely available for downloading from this website.  The new poster joins a series of 34 MFM Project photographic posters designed pro bono by long-time MFM supporter, Michelle Risi, available for downloading from the MFM website and also from an album on the MFM Project Facebook page.

Originally published on the Mouse-Free Marion Project website and posted here after editing with the project’s approval.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 30 January 2024