ISLAND RESCUE A PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF AUSTRALIA S ISLANDS DEREK BALL
CONTEXT TIMES CHANGE
OUR TRAJECTORY
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 20:767-777
OUR TRAJECTORY
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.
OUR TRAJECTORY Doing the same thing over again and expecting to get different results?
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?
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
ISLANDS All Threatened Categories Island Inhabitants Percentage of Australia's total threatened fauna for which islands are essential habitat Frogs 29 0 0% Reptiles 57 17 30% Birds 111 44 40% Mammals 94 27 29% Other Animals 47 11 23% Total 338 99 29%
ISLANDS Threatened Birds Mainland Islands Area of Australia s islands = 32 163km 2 = 0.00416% of Australia s total area
ISLANDS & THREATS Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change
ERADICATIONS Brad Keitt/ Island Conservation After Alan Saunders
Number of Eradications ERADICATIONS 800 700 760 600 500 532 400 300 200 100 0 1890-1899 3 7 14 22 29 41 1900-1909 1910-1919 1920-1929 1930-1939 1940-1949 1950-1959 Decade 62 1960-1969 99 1970-1979 139 1980-1989 243 1990-2000 - 1999 2009 Source: Global invasive vertebrate eradications database After Alan Saunders
FERALS Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change
WEEDS & DISEASE BIO-SECURITY Chevron Barrow Island Quarantine ~ 1 000 000 tonnes materials shipped ~ 138 000 passengers ~ Served 3.5 million meals ~ 174 marine vessels ~ 22 compliant suppliers and fabrication yards No uncontrolled incursions plant, animal or disease!!!!!!
FERALS WEEDS & DISEASE Listed Key Threatening Processes Feral animals Weeds Disease Bycatch Marine Debris Land Clearance Climate change
WHERE ELSE ARE THEY?
WHERE ELSE ARE THEY?
ANOTHER SMALL REASON Island landscapes and wildlife underpins $13 billion in nature based tourism annually
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
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.
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.
DEVELOPMENT Extensive consultation across Australia, in excess of 100 organisations and continuing especially with Traditional Owners Island Arks Symposium 2009, 2012, 2014
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
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
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
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
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.)
DEVELOPMENT Conservation Entrepreneurship - Sustaining conservation interventions Developing and applying new models of economically sustainable conservation interventions
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