Forth islands cleared of invasive plant that is forcing puffins out

Mallow clearing. Credit Scottish Natural Heritage.

16,000 drop in puffin numbers
Unfortunately tree mallow (Lavatera arborea), a tall Mediterranean plant, was introduced to the nearby Bass Rock in the seventeenth century and subsequently spread to Craigleith and Fidra. The plant is now covering large areas of these islands, making it difficult for puffins to access and dig burrows and, consequently, the puffin population has dropped dramatically. In 2004 SNH commissioned a study to investigate the relationship between the spread of tree mallow and the decline in breeding puffin numbers on Craigleith. It showed that the puffin population on Craigleith has seen numbers dropping from 28,000 occupied burrows in 1999 to only 12,000 in 2003. Unfortunately rabbits, which once grazed on the young tree mallow plants and kept it in check, were wiped out on the island by myxomatosis.

Five year project
A five year project to control tree mallow and restore the breeding population of puffins was started in 2006. This project is a successful partnership between Scottish Natural Heritage and the award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick. The project is being monitored by Aberdeen University.

Michael Thornton, SNH's area officer for East Lothian said: "Fourteen SNH staff volunteers from Fife, the Borders, Edinburgh and the Lothians went out and cut out some of the tree mallow. In order to avoid disturbance to seals, which are producing young on Craigleith, they worked on Fidra. It was very hard work but everyone enjoyed themselves doing some hands-on conservation for these important birds. The work done by SNH staff and other volunteers should break the flowering and seeding cycle of the species and help remove the plant from large areas of these islands. This will restore more natural coastal grassland and allow the puffins to breed in large numbers once again."