Author: Peter Coyne

Publisher: Peter Coyne

Published: 2009-12-08

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13: 0980652847

An outstanding and spectacular example of the devastation which feral animals – pigs, goats and rabbits – can cause, and the ecological restoration which can be achieved with hard work and frequent risks. Access to this remote island was difficult and often dangerous and all materials had be unloaded from the boat onto slippery rocks, handled up the surrounding cliffs and back-packed across the island. Diverse eradication techniques, using swimming, rock-climbing and archery for inaccessible sites, removed the last of the feral grazers. Revegetation and faunal recovery have been remarkable. This small island is the only natural habitat of some of the world’s rarest plant species. One was unknown to science previously, another was believed extinct, while a third has only one genetic individual in the wild. The number of bird species on the island has doubled. This book describes the geological, natural and human history of the island, the pest eradication program, and the extraordinary environmental response. It was very favourably reviewed in the international journal Restoration Ecology in 2014. Prices are for PDF file version. Paperback version also available.