Ascension : Conservation Weekly
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 01.10.2009 (Article Archived on 15.10.2009)

We would like to welcome Susana Saavedra, she’s here working under the Invasive Species Project.

We would like to welcome Susana Saavedra, she’s here working under the Invasive Species Project.

‘I arrived to Ascension recently from the Canary Islands, shortly after coming back from St Helena, where I spent one month working with Prof. Chris Feare for the South Atlantic Invasive Species and the Royal Society for Protection of Birds. We were contracted to develop a Strategy for the control of Indian Myna birds, funded by EU.

Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) are believed to have been first introduced to control cattle ticks, but not having natural predators, their population has reached pest proportions. The stimulus for the project was concern for the conservation of St Helena’s only surviving endemic terrestrial bird, the Wirebird (Charadrius sanctaehelenae). There have been accounts and photographic evidence of mynas predating Wirebird eggs and chicks, and the two species have also been claimed to compete for food. Mynas are also efficient dispersers of seeds. Many introduced plants have become invasive, and some of these are distributed by mynas after they have eaten the fruits.

The overall goal of the work was to assess the impacts (positive and negative) of Common Mynas on St Helena through interviews and observation, to initiate pilot studies of control programmes in urban and rural areas, and to formulate a programme for management of the myna population to reduce negative impacts.

Here in Ascension, I will stay for 10 weeks, working for Invasive Species Project under Environmental Health and Conservation department. In Conservation I will assist with invasive plant control, focussing on the Ascension Mexican Thorn control Plan from 2008. With Environmental Health, I will be involved in rodent and myna bird control for the protection of Sooty Terns (Sterna fuscata).

Despite the eradication of feral cats (Felis catus), predation on Sooty Terns eggs by non native species continues on Ascension. Of the exotic land birds only the myna bird is invasive. The population continues to grow today and a flock of over 500 birds (or more) can regularly be found on the Island rubbish dump, and it is known that the birds predate heavily on the eggs of other bird species. Myna birds carry on with their destruction of many thousands of Sooty Tern eggs.

I have been working for an Environmental and Animal Welfare Organisation, Live Arico, for the last 6 years. I love animals, and I hold nothing against myna birds, but they are a threat to native species. Myna birds also spread the seeds of invasive plant species, such as Mexican thorn. Invasive species and climate change, together with habitat fragmentation are the greatest dangers for conserving island species. Controlling mynas is another way to help biodiversity and native species to thrive in this changing world.

With the help of the community, I believe it is possible to reduce the number of mynas on the island significantly. This will benefit ecotourism by aiding native species and ecosystems, which can not defend themselves from species introduced by people before we understood the impact of invasive species. Hopefully it will help, at the same time, to reduce the spread of invasive plants on this beautiful island.

I’m delighted and privileged to be able to share your island with you for a short time, and I hope that my visit will lead to long-lasting benefits to you and your environment.’

Susana Saavedra

 
DVD on sale - Jewels of the Tropical South Atlantic Filmed and Produced by David A. J. Rabbitts. Limited amount available at Conservation Centre- £15.00