ISLAND RESCUE A PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF AUSTRALIA S ISLANDS DEREK BALL

Transcription

1 ISLAND RESCUE A PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF AUSTRALIA S ISLANDS DEREK BALL

2 CONTEXT TIMES CHANGE

3 OUR TRAJECTORY

4 OUR TRAJECTORY Declines overwhelmingly dominate species trends 606 (72%) of the 841 species are declining, or rapidly declining in all of their sub-regional populations, 12% had some but not all populations with increasing or stable trends, and finally, 16% had all populations showing increasing or stable trends Mar tin F. J. Taylor Paul S. Sattler Megan Evans Richard A. Fuller James E. M. Watson Hugh P. Possingham (2011)What works for threatened species recover y? An empirical evaluation for Australia. Biodiversity & Conser vation 20:

5 OUR TRAJECTORY

6 OUR TRAJECTORY Australia s State of the Environment Report 2011 ( Coasts) 1996, 2001, 2006 State of the Environment reports have expressed concern about impacts on most coastal habitats or about lack of information on which to base assessments of impacts (and now 2011). Coastal zone condition is not significantly improving and continues to decline against a number of criteria. Pressures on coastal resources are increasing at a rate that exceeds the ability of damaged environments to stabilise and be repaired.

7 OUR TRAJECTORY Doing the same thing over again and expecting to get different results?

8 ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?

9 IT S CALLED ISLANDS Island coastline = 23,859km (39.9% of the total Australian coastline) 1, Protecting Coastal Habitats? Reference: Geoscience Australia 2, Protecting Biodiversity and Natural Icons

10 ISLANDS All Threatened Categories Island Inhabitants Percentage of Australia's total threatened fauna for which islands are essential habitat Frogs % Reptiles % Birds % Mammals % Other Animals % Total %

11 ISLANDS Threatened Birds Mainland Islands Area of Australia s islands = km 2 = % of Australia s total area

12 ISLANDS & THREATS Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change

13 ERADICATIONS Brad Keitt/ Island Conservation After Alan Saunders

14 Number of Eradications ERADICATIONS Decade Source: Global invasive vertebrate eradications database After Alan Saunders

15 FERALS Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change

16 WEEDS & DISEASE BIO-SECURITY Chevron Barrow Island Quarantine ~ tonnes materials shipped ~ passengers ~ Served 3.5 million meals ~ 174 marine vessels ~ 22 compliant suppliers and fabrication yards No uncontrolled incursions plant, animal or disease!!!!!!

17 FERALS WEEDS & DISEASE Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change

18 WHERE ELSE ARE THEY?

19 WHERE ELSE ARE THEY?

20 ANOTHER SMALL REASON Island landscapes and wildlife underpins $13 billion in nature based tourism annually

21 ISLAND RESCUE The objective of Island Rescue Australia is to conserve the unique biodiversity supported by Australia s islands, and in doing so, enhance, and sustain the social and economic prosperity of island communities

22 ISLAND RESCUE ALLIANCE The Alliance is the only organization in Australia that has the necessary experience in and knowledge of the full range of island management issues at a national scale. It is the only organisation that has the necessary wide geographical viewpoint to be able to plan and prioritise conservation interventions at a national scale. Members are highly respected and experienced in their respective fields and are amongst Australia s most prominent and successful island managers and scientists. Membership is able to provide the intellectual capacity required for the detailed research, design and implementation of on-ground solutions. Participation is voluntary, inclusive, cross-sectorial and non-political. The Alliance is essentially a one stop shop for stakeholders, managers and potential investors to come together within a national context.

23 ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP Nominated representatives from every State and Territory Government +NZ NGO s Birdlife Australia, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Island Conservation Business Chevron Australia Tourism - GBR, Lord Howe Island Academics & Support conservation planning, independents, Atlas of Living Australia Island Managers: Stakeholder networks are established and collaborating.

24 DEVELOPMENT Extensive consultation across Australia, in excess of 100 organisations and continuing especially with Traditional Owners Island Arks Symposium 2009, 2012, 2014

25 DEVELOPMENT National State of the Island Report State of play Challenges and opportunities Jurisdictional arrangements Targets No brainers Best return on investment opportunities Best available Island information at a national scale ever collated

26 DEVELOPMENT National Island Database Development in conjunction with the Atlas of Living Australia (CSIRO) Imbedding existing and future data sources within the Atlas of Living Australia - creating island knowledge

27 DEVELOPMENT Conservation Planning Great Barrier Reef; Capricorn Bunker Groups Western Australia Prioritising - Designing and demonstrating the best return on investment Creating transparent and explicit frameworks for effective decision-making

28 DEVELOPMENT ABCD report carding and investment framework (conservation, tourism, industry, residential) Developing a A, B, C, D, framework for assessing performance in island management Costing interventions to improve island management

29 DEVELOPMENT National Bio-security framework Reviewing existing state, territory and national statutory and management frameworks Assessing the usefulness and applicability of existing systems (DOC, Chevron, Nias et al.)

30 DEVELOPMENT Conservation Entrepreneurship - Sustaining conservation interventions Developing and applying new models of economically sustainable conservation interventions

31 A NATIONALLY COHESIVE OFFERING Recover up to 30% of Australia s threatened fauna Conserve up to 40% of coastal habitats Keep a sample of Australian landscapes completely feral free Protect many islands currently not impacted by disease and weeds Support a $13 billion dollar industry