After more than 15 years of detailed research and planning, final implementation of the Rodent Eradication Project (REP) is scheduled for winter 2019 (May – October).
Lord Howe Island’s isolation and its varied landscape are home to many unique and endemic species, including 241 species of indigenous plants, almost 50% of which are found nowhere else in the world, 207 species of bird, including the endangered Lord Howe Island Woodhen, and 1,600 terrestrial insect species, including the world’s rarest insect, the Lord Howe Island Phasmid.
The Lord Howe Island Board’s overarching environmental vision is to protect the island’s World Heritage values, rich biodiversity and threatened species. To achieve this the LHI Board is currently delivering the Protecting Paradise Program, an island-wide holistic ecological restoration program underpinned by the LHI Biodiversity Management Plan.
At its core, the Protecting Paradise Program aims to support the removal of destructive invasive species, namely rodents and noxious weeds, whilst maintain protection of threatened species by establishing a sustainable and robust bio security system to prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive species.
The presence of exotic rodents on islands is one of the greatest causes of species extinction in the world. Rats have already been implicated in the extinction of five endemic bird species, at least 13 species of endemic invertebrates, and two plant species on LHI. Rodents are also a recognised threat to at least 13 other bird species, 2 reptiles, 51 plant species, 12 vegetation communities, and 7 species of threatened invertebrates on the Island. Seven of these species are listed as “Critically Endangered” under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.
These programs complement significant achievements to date including the eradication of cats and pigs in the 1980’s, feral goats in 1999, and Myrtle Rust in 2018, a world-first.
The Protecting Paradise Program was the Gold winner of the 2018 Banksia Sustainability Awards and the 2018 NSW Green Globe Awards in the Natural Environment and Regional Sustainability categories.
RODENT ERADICATION PROGRAM Q & A
Protecting Paradise and Lord Howe Island Conservation Volunteers
Lord Howe Island’s ‘Protecting Paradise’ program was the 2018 recipient of the Gold Banksia award for sustainability, largely based on its holistic approach to safeguarding the island’s unique and endemic flora and fauna.
LHI Conservation Volunteers will run its annual program from May-September encouraging visitors and residents on the island to learn more about Lord Howe Island’s conservation legacy and participate in important citizen science.
For more information on the Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication Project please visit Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication Project or contact the Lord Howe Island Board on 02 6563 2066.
Follow Lord Howe Island Conservation Volunteers on social media
Timeline of key events for the Rodent Eradication Program
April 15, 2019
External rat bait stations will be set up in a 10-metre grid within the settlement.
April 2019
Taronga Zoo to collect Lord Howe’s woodhens and currawongs and house in purpose-built cages during the REP.
May 20, 2019
External bait stations start to be baited, internal mouse stations will begin to be placed in dwellings.
June 1, 2019
There will be no aerial broadcast over the settlement. The first of two aerial broadcasts is planned for June 1, with the second 10 – 21 days later (weather dependent). Hand broadcasting is planned at the same time as aerial, each will take approximately 2-3 days to complete.
June – October 2019
Bait stations will be checked every five days during the first month, this will reduce to weekly and then fortnightly over time.
July – October 2019
Non-toxic monitoring tools and Biosecurity Detector Dogs will be used to detect any remaining rodents.
October 31, 2019
All bait stations brought back in. Monitoring for two years with no signs of rodents is a signal of the program’s success.
RODENT ERADICATION PROGRAM ILLUSTRATED IN INFOGRAPHIC
During 2019 the Rodent Eradication Program will be included in the LHI Conservation Volunteers (CVLHI) program. Running from May-September the CVLHI believe in protecting Lord Howe Island’s unique biodiversity while showcasing world-class conservation in action. They are dedicated to empowering like-minded people to make a difference through robust citizen science, inspiring educational experiences, and tangible local conservation action.
The CVLHI program is jointly delivered by the Lord Howe Island Board, Lord Howe Island Museum, LHI Marine Park and the Lord Howe Island Tourism Association in partnership with local businesses. Our globally recognised conservation projects have experts from all over the world working side by side with our conservation volunteers, monitoring, collecting and exploring this unique natural environment. Experience nature like nowhere else and be part of sustaining this amazing environment and experience firsthand the species that our conservation projects are safeguarding.
Want to be a part of the CVLHI program? Get involved through the Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication Program.