As Andrea Turbett looks out over the steep, green slopes of Macquarie Island, she is filled with a sense of pride.
“It’s such an immense privilege to watch [the island] recover,” the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manager said.
Less than 20 years ago, the tiny outcrop in the middle of the Southern Ocean was facing an environmental crisis caused by a plague of pests.
(Supplied: AAD/Kerry Steinberner)
But a radical plan involving millions of dollars and years of dedication has resulted in an extraordinary transformation of the World Heritage-listed area.
“I think some people didn’t quite realise how ambitious [the plan] really was,” Ms Turbett said.
“And it really was a miraculous achievement because of all the different challenges that were thrown up to the project.”
Rabbits, rats, mice and cats began to proliferate on the remote island following the arrival of explorers in the 1800s.
The impact of the introduced animals was devastating.
Two endemic birds — the Macquarie Island parakeet and Macquarie Island rail — became extinct, and by the early 2000s, more than a dozen others were under serious threat from predation.
The island’s tussock grasslands and mega-herbs also became severely degraded, with widespread erosion causing the loss of vital habitat for nesting seabirds.
But 10 years on from the completion of the world’s largest pest eradication program, Macquarie Island is returning to its former glory.
“Now it’s flourishing with mega-herbs, cabbage [and] the tussock we have all around, and it’s just incredible everywhere,” Ms Turbett said.
“It’s definitely been an excellent result that everyone’s really proud of.”
Eradication program ‘completely validated’
The $24-million program, which was jointly funded by the Tasmanian and Australian governments, kicked off in 2007.
After four years of planning, calicivirus was released on the island in 2011, followed by a combination of aerial baiting, shooting and hunting dogs.
The multi-pronged approach resulted in the removal of more than 125,000 rabbits and countless rodents.
By 2014, the island was declared a pest-free haven, with no introduced species spotted in the previous two years.
For Kris Carlyon, who recently returned, the impact has been remarkable.
“The vegetation recovery that we are seeing with the removal of rabbits is absolutely extraordinary,” the wildlife biologist said.
“We ended up walking through tussock at the bottom of some of the slopes that was twice as high as my head.
“It was quite amazing to see.”
While the baiting program resulted in the unintended deaths of some birds, including giant petrels and skuas that fed on dead rodents, Dr Carlyon said the long-term benefits for the island were clear.
“This eradication effort was the largest eradication of rodents undertaken anywhere in the world, so it was a huge feat to pull off,” he said.
“The efforts were completely validated in my view. We’re seeing just such outstanding results now.”
‘Spectre’ of future threats keeps scientists on alert
To ensure the island remains pest-free, a range of protocols are in place, including the use of biosecurity dogs that check cargo before it gets sent on ships travelling to the island.
But despite those measures, other threats remain a concern, including climate change and avian influenza.
Australian Antarctic Division spatial ecologist Aleks Terauds said ongoing monitoring of the island’s flora and fauna was imperative.
“Without this long-term data, it’s really hard to identify change, and change can occur for a whole range of reasons,” he said.
“At the moment, we’re seeing change in relation to the vegetation improving.
“But we’ve got climate changes on Macquarie Island, we’ve got the spectre of avian influenza, we’ve got a lot of potential change.
“And without this monitoring, we really can’t understand what the trajectories are and what we can do to help manage it.”
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek last year announced $380,000 in funding to continue monitoring programs.
“This project will assess wildlife populations on Macquarie Island so we get an accurate snapshot and monitor trends over time,” she said.
“The data will allow us to better protect this exceptional place for our kids and grandkids.”
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