Tetiaroa Atoll is a paradisiacal tropical island bought by actor Marlon Brando on a 99-year lease, and is home to one of the world’s most expensive island resorts. Until recently, it was the home of two species of introduced rat, the black rat and the Polynesian rat, both of which have wreaked havoc on the local ecosystem of nesting sea turtles, skittish ghost and coconut crabs, and dozens of sea birds like the blue and red-footed boobies.
After three years of work and research in the field, the summer of 2022 saw the NGO Island Conservation initiate an operation to eradicate all the rats from all 12 islands in the atoll, in collaboration with the luxury hotel Le Brando and the non-profit organization non-profit Tetiaroa Society. More than 60 staff and volunteers set out to open more than 160 miles (260 kilometers) of paths in the vegetation in order to spread rat poison across about 1,250 acres (520 hectares). “It is the largest operation of its kind carried out by hand in the world,” Richard Griffiths, chief operating officer of Island Conservation, said in a statement. “Usually, surfaces of this size are treated from the air with helicopters and drones. But for technical and COVID-related reasons, we decided to do it manually.”
The successful project will provide a massive boost to seabird populations and other “connecting” species that link island and marine ecosystems. With time, the flourishing island could become a safe haven for critically endangered species such as the Polynesian Ground Dove and the Tuamotu Sandpiper, and the concurrent marine benefits will lead to recovered coral reefs and thriving marine life.
The connecting of the island and marine ecosystems mainly occurs from the nutrients deposited into the sea by a diverse panoply of seabird species, which had declined dramatically under the rat occupation. More nutrients mean healthier zooplankton and phytoplankton, and coral reefs. These, in turn, mean larger small fish populations, and those of large predators like devil rays.
Source: Andy Corbley, Good News Network
