Prioritizing rat eradication on islands by cost and effectiveness to protect nesting seabirds

Capizzi, Dario; Baccetti, Nicola; Sposimo, Paolo

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.020

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Over the past decades, across the 1128 successful eradication programmes that have been implemented on individual islands [48], the overall risks of extinction due to IAS have been substantially reduced for only 11 bird, five mammal and one amphibian species [6]. Eradication programmes on islands should be prioritized on the basis of not only eradication feasibility, economic cost, reinvasion potential and the most problematic IAS [15,49,50], but also the potential outcome for global biodiversity. We were able to determine where the most important clusters of IAS-threatened species are, and which IAS are responsible for these effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns in threats to vertebrates by biological invasions

2016

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Biological invasions as drivers of biodiversity loss have recently been challenged. Fundamentally, we must know where species that are threatened by invasive alien species (IAS) live, and the degree to which they are threatened. We report the first study linking 1372 vertebrates threatened by more than 200 IAS from the completely revised Global Invasive Species Database. New maps of the vulnerability of threatened vertebrates to IAS permit assessments of whether IAS have a major influence on biodiversity, and if so, which taxonomic groups are threatened and where they are threatened. We found that centres of IAS-threatened vertebrates are concentrated in the Americas, India, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. The areas in which IAS-threatened species are located do not fully match the current hotspots of invasions, or the current hotspots of threatened species. The relative importance of biological invasions as drivers of biodiversity loss clearly varies across regions and taxa, and changes over time, with mammals from India, Indonesia, Australia and Europe are increasingly being threatened by IAS. The chytrid fungus primarily threatens amphibians, whereas invasive mammals primarily threaten other vertebrates. The differences in IAS threats between regions and taxa can help efficiently target IAS, which is essential for achieving the Strategic Plan 2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns in threats to vertebrates by biological invasions

2016

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“…Nevertheless, complete eradification may be difficult and costly, and long term sustainability requires stringent quarantine regulations to prevent future reinvasions [63]. Eradication would also require considerable political will and a relatively high level of financial investment.…”

Section: Implications For Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive House (Rattus Rattus) and Brown Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) Threaten the Viability of Red-Billed Tropicbird (Phaethon Aethereus) in Abrolhos National Park, Brazil

Sarmento

Brito

Ladle

et al. 2014

Tropical Conservation Science

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Destruction of nests and predation by introduced species are among the main factors responsible for seabird declines.The red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) is a tropical, colonially nesting seabird whose distribution in Brazil is restricted to a small, isolated breeding colony located within Abrolhos National Park. This represents the southernmost population of the species in the western Atlantic, and is among the most southerly in its global distribution. Despite its isolation, the population on Abrolhos is threatened by egg predation by two invasive rat species: the house rat (Rattus rattus) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). In this study we conduct a population viability analysis of P. aethereus in Abrolhos to estimate the potential long term impacts of the rats. Our results indicate that egg and chick predation by rats has the potential to quickly drive the Abrolhos tropicbird population into serious decline. Reducing this threat may require the urgent implementation of a rat control program.Keywords: seabird, conservation, eradication, Rattus, population viability.Resumo O Rabo-de-palha-de-bico-vermelho (Phaethon aethereus) é uma ave marinha tropical e colonial. No Brasil, essa espécie apresenta distribuição restrita, com uma pequena e isolada colônia nidificando dentro do Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos. Essa população está localizada no limite sul da distribuição da espécie no Oceano Atlântico ocidental, e entre as populações mais ao sul de sua distribuição global. Apesar de seu isolamento, a população de Abrolhos está ameaçada pela predação de ovos e filhotes por duas espécies invasoras de rato: rato doméstico (Rattus rattus) e rato marrom (Rattus norvegicus). Neste estudo realizamos uma análise de viabilidade populacional de P. aethereus em Abrolhos para estimar os potenciais impactos de longo prazo causados por esses ratos. Nossos resultados mostram que a população foi considerada viável sob condições ambientais naturais. No entanto, a predação por ratos foi identificada como uma potencial ameaça capaz de rapidamente levar a população dessa ave a um acentuado declínio. Para que essa ameaça possa efetivamente ser contornada defendemos que a implementação de um programa de gestão direcionado para controlar a população de ratos em Abrolhos deve urgentemente ser colocada em prática.Palavras chaves: aves marinhas, conservação, erradicação, Rattus, viabilidade populacional.

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“…Islands are, however, abundant and invasive species management funds scarce, and financial costeffectiveness is increasingly considered a variable of predominant importance in conservation prioritisation (Brooke et al 2007;Capizzi et al 2010;Moore et al 2010;Myers et al 2000;Naidoo et al 2006;Pimentel et al 2005). We are of the opinion, however, that the initial prioritization of island eradications should not depend on immediate financial cost-effectiveness but on their potential contribution to long-term or sustainable wildlife conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Island prioritization for invasive rodent eradications with an emphasis on reinvasion risk

et al. 2011

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Invasive rodents occur on over 80% of the world's island groups, invasions are continuing, and rodent impacts on insular wildlife have been well demonstrated. The extent of this problem calls for tools to aid large-scale prioritisation among the many candidate eradication operations. As conservation funds are limited, biologists have responded with prioritisation systems based on financial cost-effectiveness. Instead, we claim that long-term conservation gain should be the primary focus when prioritising islands for invasive rodent eradication. This concept is embodied mainly by invasive rodent reinvasion risk, which we categorise as natural or anthropogenic, based on the mechanism of reinvasion and our ability to mitigate the risk. The result is a first-pass triage system that prioritises eradication programmes by their long-term conservation potential, not their immediate value for money. To construct a prioritization list, we group islands into units for simultaneous eradication, to minimize inter-island reinvasion risk, and then assign weights to levels of unit reinvasion risk and unit conservation value. The choice of parameter weights may depend on capacity for biosecurity action (i.e. reduction in reinvasion risk) and a choice of tertiary filter variables can further discriminate within priority ranks. We illustrate our prioritization framework with a case study on rodents in New Caledonia but explain how our system can be adapted to suit any invasive rodent species or island configuration.

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Prioritizing rat eradication on islands by cost and effectiveness to protect nesting seabirds

Cited by 33 publications

References 52 publications

Global patterns in threats to vertebrates by biological invasions

Global patterns in threats to vertebrates by biological invasions

Invasive House (Rattus Rattus) and Brown Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) Threaten the Viability of Red-Billed Tropicbird (Phaethon Aethereus) in Abrolhos National Park, Brazil

Island prioritization for invasive rodent eradications with an emphasis on reinvasion risk

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