New Paper Shows Invasive Species Removal is a Nature-Based Solution for Climate Resilience
Island Conservation and partners have published a new paper quantifying ecosystem resilience on restored islands!
Restoring islands for nature and people worldwide.
Published on
February 20, 2018
Written by
Island Conservation
Photo credit
Island Conservation
By: Jaimie Cleeland
MacGillivray’s Prions (Pachyptila macgillivrayi) breed in Prion Cave on Gough Island from November though to April and during this time the Gough field team make regular visits to Prion Cave to monitor their success. The data collected this season, like many before, shows the catastrophic effect mice have on this species. Here we tell the tale of each nest monitored over the last 10 weeks.
A single egg is laid sometime from late November to early December. The egg weighs 30g, which is impressive for such a small seabird (140-230g). At this time the field team are making weekly visits to read the metal identification rings of breeding adults to follow their individual breeding success or failure.
Eggs are incubated for approximately 45 days before hatching in early-mid January. However, this season 33 out of 68 eggs did not hatch. Invasive mice are likely to be a contributing factor to the high failure rate of eggs. Mice chew marks were seen on several broken eggs. Eggs may also fail as inexperienced breeders or breeders in poor body condition abandon their nests leaving the egg unattended. Under normal conditions and with good provisioning, the small chicks would grow fast after hatching and fledge from the nest at the end of March, heading to sea for the first time.
But this season, the signs of mice attack were obvious; several chicks were found alive with open wounds, while the majority were found dead on the nest. No chicks survived beyond 11 days. However, most mortalities occurred within 4 days of hatching, 51 days shy of fledging. With consistently low chick survival the MacGillivray’s Prion population on Gough Island is in peril. The eradication of mice cannot come soon enough for this species.
Featured photo: Landscape of Gough Island. Credit: Island Conservation
Originally printed by Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds (RSPB)
Check out other journal entries we think you might be interested in.
Island Conservation and partners have published a new paper quantifying ecosystem resilience on restored islands!
Climate Week NYC: what is it and why is it important? Read on to find out why Island Conservation is attending this amazing event!
With sea levels on the rise, how are the coastlines of islands transforming? Read on to find out how dynamic islands really are!
Join us in celebrating the most amazing sights from around the world by checking out these fantastic conservation photos!
Rare will support the effort to restore island-ocean ecosystems by engaging the Coastal 500 network of local leaders in safeguarding biodiversity (Arlington, VA, USA) Today, international conservation organization Rare announced it has joined the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC), a global effort to…
Island Conservation accepts cryptocurrency donations. Make an impact using your digital wallet today!
For Immediate Release Conservation powerhouse BirdLife South Africa has joined the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC) – a global initiative aiming to restore, rewild and protect islands, oceans and communities – to support its work to save internationally significant albatross populations…
Video captures insights and hopes from the partners who are working to restore Lehua Island, Hawai’i. In 2021, Lehua Island officially became free from the threat of invasive rodents. This is a huge accomplishment that has enriched the region’s biodiversity…
Carolina Torres describes how the project to restore and rewild Floreana Island signals hope for a future where people and nature can thrive together in the Galápagos.
A new plan to restore seabird habitats in areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster includes invasive species removal.