One study has described rats and other mammalian invaders as ‘the greatest threat to island biodiversity’, but there are causes for optimism
In 2018 a project began to eradicate rats from the Saltee Islands off Co Wexford, which are incredibly important for a range of breeding seabirds but are perhaps most famous for their puffins. Photograph: Nick BradshawIn an age of extinction it can be forgotten that the rise of humanity has led to phenomenal success for some species.
Take That in Dublin review: ‘Whose idea was it to have stairs?’ puffs Gary Barlow as the band roll back the years with dazzling showfrom the remote island of Hawadax in the North Pacific found that rats had radically changed the shoreline ecosystem by removing birds, such as gulls and oystercatchers, as the apex predators, in turn allowing an abundance of small grazing animals, such as snails and limpets, which went on to significantly reduce seaweed cover.
“There’s a reason why a lot of our seabirds select offshore islands, and that’s to be away from the predatory mammals of the mainland,” he says. Some species are particularly vulnerable, as they nest on relatively gently sloping ground, for example Manx shearwaters, puffins and storm petrels. Others, such as gannets, are less vulnerable as they nest on steeper cliff faces that are less accessible, even to small rodents.
In 2018, the NPWS began a project to eradicate rats from the Saltee Islands off Co Wexford. These are incredibly important islands for a range of breeding seabirds but are perhaps most famous for their puffins. “Back in 2017 we went to Great Saltee to check on the puffins. In every single burrow we checked, there were no puffins in them,” says Tierney.
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