Marion Island and its introduced House Mice feature in South Africa’s third report on the National Status of Biological Invasions and their Management

Above picture:  Ms Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, launches South Africa’s third Biological Invasions report

The invasive biota of Marion and Prince Edward Islands are highlighted in South Africa’s National Status of Biological Invasions and their Management report for 2022, that was released in March this year.  The detailed 25-page chapter on the islands emphasizes the introduced House Mice that continue to cause extensive damage to Marion Island’s breeding albatrosses and petrels.

The report also confirms the South African Government’s commitment to seeing the mice eradicated.  This commitment has been put into action by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) joining with BirdLife South Africa to establish the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project.

On launching the Biological Invasions Report for 2022, Ms Barbara Creecy, the DFFE Minister, stated: “For the first time, this report provides a separate assessment of the status of biological invasions and their management on the Prince Edward Islands.  Although these islands are part of South Africa, their remote location and unique biodiversity warrant a separate assessment.  Findings highlight the devastating impact of the house mouse, which is alien to the Marion Island.  The mice feed on plants, and small animals including endangered seabirds.  A bold plan to eradicate mice from the island has been developed and is due to be implemented in 2027.  The eradication of mice from Marion Island is essential if its unique biodiversity is to be preserved.”

The report has been co-produced by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the Department of Science and Innovation’s National Research Foundation’s (DSI-NRF) Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University.

What we hope for Marion Island. A Southern Royal Albatross guards its downy chick on New Zealand’s rodent-free Campbell Island following a successful rodent eradication exercise; photograph by MFM Project Sponsor, Maleen Hoekstra

More recently, Minister Creecy has restated her department’s commitment to the MFM Project.  In an opinion editorial published by News24 on 31 March she writes that “Marion Island is one of the country’s greatest treasures – home to close to half of the world’s Wandering Albatross, millions of other seabirds and other species of wildlife, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.”  On noting DFFE’s collaboration with BirdLife South Africa and that the MFM Project achieving its goal “will be no easy feat”, the Minister continued “we are not taking up this task alone and have global expertise on island eradications advising and supporting us, ensuring we will be following current best practice.” She ends her article by saying that DFFE has committed a substantial amount of support to the project, but that there is a significant amount of funds still to be raised.

In a response, Mark D. Anderson, CEO of BirdLife South Africa and Chairperson of the MFM Project’s Management Committee, speaks on behalf of all the members of the Project team by expressing his gratitude to Minister Creecy: “With the continued assurance of full support from the South African Government we have the greatest chance of success to rid Marion of its “killer” mice” and to allow the ecology and wildlife of the island to recover”.

Reference:

SANBI & CIB 2023.  The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2022.  Stellenbosch: South African National Biodiversity Institute & DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology.  122 pp.

John Cooper, News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 16 April 2024

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All of the four breeding albatrosses on Marion Island, including these three displaying Wandering Albatrosses, are at risk attacks by mice; photograph by Alexis Osborne and poster design by Michelle Risi

The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean.  The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.  Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate.  For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.