New Island Restoration

New Island is beautiful. With its rich cliff-lined shores teaming with albatross, seals and burrowing seabirds, it truly is a wildlife sanctuary. In fact, it is not only a National Nature Reserve, but also an internationally recognised Important Bird Area and its inshore waters are a major hotspot for seabirds. But that wildlife is under threat. 

4 invasive species, introduced in the past 2 centuries by whalers and sealers, are competing with and predating on native birds and damaging vegetation. These are rats, mice, feral cats, and rabbits. 

Since FC’s acquisition of New Island in 2020, it has been our long-term goal to continue the great work of the New Island Conservation Trust (NICT) to conserve its native wildlife and habitats, prevent further damage, and restore populations and habitats to a more natural state.

The Programme

Located in the far southwest of the Falkland Islands archipelago, New Island’s stunning scenery is matched by an extraordinary range of wildlife.

Thanks to decades of pioneering conservation action and management for nature, New Island remains an incredibly valuable site for wildlife and the Falklands. However, it is far from saved.

Globally, invasive species are implicated in 86% of all recorded extinctions on islands, and on New Island there are four species of invasive mammals which are regarded to be among the world’s most damaging. Despite efforts, the island ecosystem is under threat; endemic species have been lost whilst other species and habitats are declining at an alarming rate. If we do nothing, we will see a continued loss of nature and a bleak future for New Island.

We must act now to secure a better future for New Island. A large-scale restoration would be a major conservation achievement for the Falkland Islands. It would allow the reintroduction of extirpated species, the protection of globally endangered species, the rejuvenation of waterbird and insect populations and the creation of native habitats. Habitat restoration would make New Island what it should and deserves to be and help realise its full potential for wildlife and people.

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What are the threats?

Predation of passerines

New Island is home to several small seabird and passerine species that are vulnerable to predation from rats, cats and mice. The endemic Cobb’s wren has been made locally extinct and tussacbird numbers are severely depressed.

Egg & chick predation

Eggs and chicks of white-chinned petrels and slender-billed prions are predated on by rats, cats and mice. Research has shown rat-infested islands have drastically fewer shorebirds, compared to rat-free islands.

Erosion

The combined effects of climate change and grazing from rabbits is increasing land degradation and soil erosion, which not only destroys important habitats for our wildlife, but releases carbon from the eroding peatlands.

Vegetation

The grazing pressures of rabbits on native vegetation, combined with other effects such as mice and rats eating seeds, suppresses the ecosystem’s resilience and recovery.

Biosecurity

The surrounding islands in the New Island group are free of these invasive species and are key breeding grounds for native bird species, such as Cobb’s wren and slender-billed prions. By removing the invasive species from New Island, we also ensure they don’t spread to other islands, where they could cause great harm.

What would a restoration of New Island achieve?

1. Return endemic species

Removing invasive mammals would allow the return of Cobb’s wren and tussacbirds, unique songbirds found only on pristine Falkland Islands.

2. Rebuild waterbird populations

Nearly double the numbers of coastal waterbirds by removing invasive rats.

3. Protect white-chinned petrels

Secure and revitalize the endangered white-chinned petrels, which are on the brink of local extinction due to invasive mammals.

4. Safeguard slender-billed prions

Protect the world’s largest colony of slender-billed prions from predation and erosion.

5. Restore ecological processes

Re-establish natural ecological processes disrupted by invasive mammals.

6. Tackle peat erosion

Combat catastrophic peat erosion, preventing the loss of nine football pitches worth of soil each year.

7. Reinstate carbon absorption

Enhance carbon absorption with tussac peat, one of the highest carbon-absorbing soils globally.

If you have any questions about the restoration work on New Island please don’t hesitate to contact info@conservation.org.fk

This is a Darwin-plus funded programme, in partnership with the RSPB and the Falkland Islands Government.

Visit newislandtrust.com for more information on our New Island site.