South Georgia seabird sanctuary receives £250,000 to eradicate rats

BASKING: Elephant seals on South Georgia. Picture: George Lemann

World's largest rat eradication project awarded Defra funding

February 2012: South Georgia Heritage Trust has been awarded £250,000 of UK Government money to help fund an ambitious rat eradication programme aimed at stopping catastrophic devastation of the island's unique wildlife.

The UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) grant will help secure the survival of one of the world's most important seabird sanctuaries on the sub Antarctic island of South Georgia.

Ambitious three-year plan
The habitat restoration project is an ambitious three-year plan to eradicate rats, which originally arrived on South Georgia as stowaways on sealing and whaling ships, but whose recent population explosion is having a devastating effect on the island's wildlife and ecology, especially its endemic bird populations.

Following years of planning, a highly successful pilot phase of the project was conducted in 2011, which witnessed the successful removal of rats from a tenth of the total infected area. 

The only effective way to eradicate rodents on an island the size of South Georgia is by air and two helicopters were used to deliver the rat bait. It took years of planning, but in just 26 days an 11-strong team of international experts spread 48 tonnes of bait over 128 sq km. 

IMPRESSIVE: Wandering albatross are among the many birds making their home in South Georgia. Picture: Tony Martin

Now ready for second phase
Having demonstrated that the methodology and technology is effective, the stage is now set for the second phase of the world's largest rat eradication project to get underway in 2013 and 2014. At 80,000 hectares in size, South Georgia is more than seven times larger than Campbell Island (New Zealand), which at 11,300 hectares is currently the largest island ever cleared of rodents.

Explaining the government's support of this important environmental initiative on this southernmost UK Overseas Protected Territory, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries Richard Benyon said: ‘We have a once in a lifetime chance to help return this precious habitat to an even better state than that in which Shackleton would have first discovered it nearly a century ago. I'm delighted that the UK Government has been able to offer its support to this valuable work and hope that others may be encouraged do the same.'

This funding helps SGHT move closer to the estimated £2.8 million of funding needed by end of 2012 to continue the work in early 2013.

Howard Pearce, the chairman of trustees of the South Georgia Heritage Trust said: ‘The trust is delighted with this generous grant from Defra, which gives a tremendous boost to our campaign to eradicate invasive rodents from South Georgia. The impact of the project, once completed, will be spectacular. Our vision is to return South Georgia to the pristine state in which Captain Cook discovered it in 1775.'