What We Do
Current Projects
Three Crows
Seabirds of the Indian Ocean
Hawk Eagles of Java
The Copper Flora of Katanga
Saiga of the Ustyurt Plateau
Chimpanzees of DR Congo
Lions of Addis Ababa
Seabirds of the Indian Ocean
Wider Implication: Reviving barren islands
The practice of releasing rabbits and goats from ships onto tropical islands as a live food source was once common and often caused total defoliation. Cats, rats and other predators escaping onto the islands exterminated the fauna, including seabirds. Removal of the alien pests alone, however, does not guarantee the return of the seabirds, which show a strong affinity to the place where they were hatched.
This project will trial the introduction of two seabird species, the Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus and the White-tailed Tropicbird Phaeton lepturus, onto Ile aux Aigrettes, Mauritius, which has been under restoration for the last two decades. The project will develop the techniques for the rearing and release of seabirds as a prelude to a larger programme for other islands and seabird species, including for the regionally extinct Abbot’s Booby Papasula abbotti.
Because of their colonial nesting habits, seabirds can reach high densities, bringing nutrients in their droppings, regurgitated food, dead bodies, moulted feathers and un-hatched eggs, which improve soil fertility for plant growth and attract the invertebrates that provide food for reintroduced birds and reptiles. By this means seabirds could be a key to reviving the ecology of barren islands.
Project Partners: Durrell; Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.