A Black-browed Albatross on Macquarie Island, photograph by Melanie Wells

Nick Duigan, Tasmanian Minister for Parks and Environment and Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for the Environment and Water have issued a joint communique to mark a decade of Autralia’s sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island being free of introduced vertebrates.  The media release text follows:

“In April 2014, a major project to eradicate all rabbits and rodents from Macquarie Island was officially declared a success.  Ten years on, the island is showing remarkable signs of recovery, with lush vegetation lining its once barren slopes and the return of breeding seabirds such as burrowing petrels.  Macquarie Island is located halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica.  It is one of Australia’s most significant conservation reserves and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Area.

A view of Macquarie Island, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Planning for the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project began in 2007 with the aim of removing three introduced pest species – rabbits, rats and mice – and restoring the island’s outstanding natural values.  The [AU]$24 million project was co-funded by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments and managed by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service with the assistance of the Australian Antarctic Division.  Tasmanian Government Minister for Parks and Environment, Nick Duigan, said it was the most ambitious pest eradication program conducted in the state’s history.

“The introduction of rabbits, rats and mice to Macquarie Island had devastating impacts on the island’s natural wildlife and ecology,” Minister Duigan said “Overgrazing by rabbits caused extensive loss of vegetation cover, destroying the breeding grounds of nesting seabirds and triggering widespread erosion.  Rats preyed on seabird eggs and chicks, while mice ate insects, worms and other invertebrates, disturbing the ecological balance of the island.

“Following years of meticulous planning, the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication teams of 2011 and 2012 successfully rid the island of all three targeted species.  This remarkable outcome is testament to the tireless efforts of the rangers, baiters, hunters and their support crews who delivered the program in remote and challenging conditions.  We thank them for their contributions.  We also acknowledge Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service for its ongoing management and preservation of the outstanding universal values of Macquarie Island.”

No longer a problem.  Denudation and erosion caused by European Rabbits on Macquarie Island, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said the eradication of rabbits and rodents had huge benefits for threatened species on the island.

“Macquarie Island is a wildlife wonderland – home to millions of penguins, seals and seabirds. It is fantastic to see the island’s plants and animals thrive 10 years after the eradication of rabbits and rodents.  “The increase in vegetation cover has improved breeding habitat for albatross and the eradication of rodent predators has seen burrowing petrels flourish.  The long-term benefits and impacts of the pest eradication program will continue to be monitored through the 10-year Macquarie Island Wildlife Monitoring Program.”

“This project will assess wildlife populations on Macquarie Island so we get an accurate snapshot and monitor trends over time.  The data will allow us to better protect this exceptional place for our kids and grandkids.

“This is a great example of our government’s commitment to restore damaged landscapes and shows what marvellous results can be achieved.  The Australian Government also announced in this month’s budget we will rebuild the station on Macquarie Island to continue world-leading science like this.”

Trained dogs were used to help eradicate European Rabbits, Black Rats and House Mice on Macquarie Island, photograph by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

Macquarie Island has a long history of battling the impacts of introduced pests.  The island was discovered by sealers in 1810, and they brought with them cats, dogs and rodents.  From the 1860s they introduced rabbits and Weka as a food source.  Weka were eradicated in 1989 and feral cats were eradicated by 2000, but rabbits, mice and rats continued to thrive.

 By the mid-2000s, the rabbit population was estimated to exceed 125,000.  After extensive planning and research, calicivirus was introduced to Macquarie Island in February 2011 and proved very effective, killing an estimated 80-90 per cent of the rabbit population in a few weeks. This was followed by an aerial baiting programme in the winter 2011.  The last rabbit was recorded on the island in November 2011, and after three years of intensive patrolling by conservation dogs and their handlers, the project was declared a success in 2014.

Read video interviews here and here on the island's recovery.

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

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) marked a significant milestone this year on the 1 February, celebrating 20 years since coming into force in 2004.

To mark this occasion, ACAP has released a special booklet, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels: Achievements in the First 20 Years 2004-2024, chronicling its journey and achievements of the past two decades.

The booklet serves as both a celebration of ACAP’s accomplishments and a call to action for future endeavours. It highlights the vital work done by Parties, researchers, non-Party Range States, Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other entities to protect these incredible seabirds. Additionally, it emphasises the need for continued international collaboration, innovative research, and the implementation of robust conservation measures to ensure a future for the 31 species listed under the Agreement.

Speaking about the booklet’s release, ACAP’s Executive Secretary, Dr Christine Bogle said, "The commemorative booklet serves as a testament to ACAP's collective dedication in safeguarding the world's albatrosses and petrels. It not only celebrates our past achievements but also ignites a renewed commitment towards a future where these majestic seabirds thrive."

ACAP would like to thank Graphic Designer, David Mackenzie, for producing the booklet, and the many photographers who have contributed to the booklet with their incredible images.

Achievements in the First 20 Years: 2004-2024 is now available to download from the ACAP website in ACAP's three official languages, English, French and Spanish.

28 May 2024

“A piece of plastic wrapper and part of an orange balloon” removed from the juvenile Black-browed Albatross, photograph from the Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

In April this year a juvenile Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris was found in poor condition near New Zealand’s Wellington Airport and taken to The Nest Te Kōhanga, Wellington Zoo’s animal hospital, as reported on the Zoo’s Facebook Page.

“The juvenile albatross was very weak, and our vets put him on pain relief, fluids, and a diet of fish slurry.  Blood tests came back normal, and the albatross was put under general anaesthetic so our vet team could take a full set of X-rays.  To check whether this albatross had any plastic in his stomach, our vets performed an endoscopy, sending a camera down his throat to look around his gut.”  A piece of plastic wrapper and part of an orange balloon were then removed from its stomach.

 
Performing the endoscopy, photograph from the Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

In mid-May a team from The Nest Te Kōhanga took a boat ride out to the middle of the Cook Strait to release the recovered Black-browed Albatross at sea.  Watch a video of its release here.

Access earlier articles in ACAP Latest News of balloons ingested by ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels here. "Plastic Pollution" was ACAP's theme for World Albatross Day on 19 June 2023.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 28 May 2024

A White-capped Albatross breeding on Disappointment Island, photograph by Graham Parker

Graham Parker (Parker Conservation, Dunedin, New Zealand) and colleagues have produced a draft report for the New Zealand Department of Conservation’s Conservation Services Programme on their recent research on globally Near Threatened White-capped Albatrosses Thalassarche steadi in the Auckland Islands.

The report’s summary follows:

“White-capped albatrosses are the most frequently incidentally bycaught albatross species in New Zealand commercial fisheries. The species ranks highly in New Zealand Government risk assessment, with uncertainty around the estimate of adult survival.  A white-capped albatross mark-recapture study was established on Disappointment Island in January 2015 to improve estimates of adult survival, and other key population demographic parameters.  A 3.5-day research trip to Disappointment Island was conducted 18–21 January; the tenth visit to the island for white-capped albatross survival rate research.  Annual survival rates for white-capped albatrosses vary substantially year-on-year, ranging between 0.83 ± 0.06 (± SE) in 2015 to 0.96 ± 0.03 in 2020.  Mean annual survival over that period was 0.89 ± 0.04 (excluding the estimate for 2018 which had particularly high variance).  Robust estimates of survival and productivity of white-capped albatross require continued visits to Disappointment Island.  Banding should be a high priority to ensure the core mark-recapture study is not compromised, since precision of survival estimates is reliant on it.  Tracking devices, and cameras to assess productivity, were also recovered and deployed.”

Reference:

Parker, G.C., Osborne, J., Sagar, R., Schultz, H. & Rexer-Huber, K. 2024.  White-capped albatross population study, Disappointment Island 2024.  DRAFT Final report to the Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation. Dunedin:  Parker Conservation. 14 pp.

27 May 2024