Their mission? To see the Polynesian storm petrel return to its island home for the first time in more than a century.
Pilots just flew poison-carrying drones over a remote island in French Polynesia – for one very good reason
Endangered Polynesian storm petrels are returning to Kamaka island in French Polynesia after an absence of more than 100 years, thanks to some innovative technology being deployed.
Once widespread across the south Pacific, the small, ground-nesting seabirds, also known as white-throated storm petrels, have been pushed to the brink of extinction, due to the presence of invasive species, especially rats, across the islands.
But the storm petrels have been able to reclaim their natural home after a successful programme to remove rats in 2022 using drones to deliver rodenticide.
“Their return is one more line of proof that removing invasive species and restoring island ecosystems can halt – and even reverse – biodiversity loss,” says Amy Levine, Island Conservation, Conservation Impact Director.
Poisonous drones
Using drones to deliver poisons isn’t an easy process. “The use of drones has repeatedly proven to be a very effective method of rodent removal, especially on islands where rugged terrain makes it difficult for our team members to reach every nook and cranny,” says Levine.
“It’s innovative and it requires careful planning, precision and expertise. Every aspect of the operation must be meticulously mapped and programmed to ensure the bait’s distributed accurately across the target area. The terrain, weather and topography of each island can significantly affect flight paths and bait application, requiring real-time adjustments by skilled GIS specialists and drone operators.”
Sound systems
Once the rats had been removed, storm petrels were drawn back to the island using two solar-powered ‘social attraction’ sound systems that broadcast recorded sounds from the nearby Manui Island storm-petrel colony, creating the illusion of an active colony.
The idea is that when storm petrels fly nearby, they will hear the familiar calls and be encouraged to land and explore the area for breeding. Because each unit is solar-powered, it can operate continuously in the remote island setting – a low-impact, sustainable way to jump-start the re-establishment of a colony.
To make life even easier for the birds, four ‘luxury’ ready-to-live-in burrows were constructed. Motion-sensing cameras were also set in place to detect the presence of petrels.
After the deployment of sound systems in March 2024, just prior to the start of the breeding season, cameras detected individuals visiting one of the sites in April and May.
By June and through the remainder of the breeding period, storm petrels were visiting both sound systems and began spending time in the nest boxes.
“We were thrilled to learn that the ‘social attraction’ system put in place is already working,” says Levine.
“Their return is one more line of proof that removing invasive species and restoring island ecosystems can halt, and even reverse, biodiversity loss.”
Kamaka Island Restoration Project
The Kamaka Island Restoration Project is part of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge, founded by Island Conservation, Re:wild and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which aims to begin restoring 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030.
Island Conservation worked with partners including Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie (SOP Manu), the Reasin family and the Mangareva Community. With only 250-1000 Polynesian storm-petrels left in the wild, Kamaka, located in the Gambier archipelago, is seen as crucial for the global recovery of the birds, offering the potential for a new secure breeding population.
The primary threat to Polynesian storm petrels across the south-west Pacific is invasive rats, most likely brought to the region originally by boat.
Petrels are particularly vulnerable because they nest on the ground in burrows that are easily accessed by the predators. Although rats have been successfully removed from Kamaka and several other islands in the region, rats still persist across many islands.
“The best thing that could be done to secure a future for these threatened seabirds is for communities and partners to continue operations to remove invasive rats where they still threaten island seabird colonies, and to continue to protect predator-free islands,” says Levine.
“Communities, companies and tourists will also need to implement rigorous biosecurity measures, including careful examination of ports, boats and anything being transported, to make sure invasive species are not able to re-invade islands, like the safe haven of Kamaka.”
Main image: Drone on Kamaka Island, French Polynesia/Austin Hall Island Conservation
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