Funding agreement to save Macquarie Island: WWF

A major threat to the survival of the grey-headed albatross will be removed thanks to a joint decision today by the Australian and Tasmanian governments to fund a pest eradication program on World Heritage Macquarie Island.

The $24.6 million plan to rid Macquarie Island of rabbits, which now number more than 100,000, was agreed to today after an extended stalemate between the Australian and Tasmanian governments over who should foot the bill.

The two governments today agreed to share the cost of the plan, which puts in place a long-term solution to the rabbit and rodent problem that has plagued Macquarie Island's fragile ecology for more than a century.

WWF-Australia, which has campaigned for the immediate implementation of a pest eradication plan on the island, today welcomed the decision.

"Today's decision means that the grey-headed albatross is now further from extinction," said WWF-Australia’s Invasive Species Policy Officer Julie Kirkwood.

"We have been deeply concerned that the eradication would be delayed another year if full funding hadn't been agreed this month, which would have been devastating for the island."

Ms Kirkwood said today's decision meant there was still hope that the eradication of rabbits and rodents from Macquarie Island could begin by winter 2009. It takes two years to complete the specialised training of dogs to track rabbits without impacting on the island's wildlife.

"Due to the time it takes to train the dogs for this task, the project now needs to be fast tracked by the Tasmanian Government so that we can still keep to the 2009 eradication timetable," Ms Kirkwood said.

Giving the eradication plan the green light comes just in time to save embarrassment for both governments at an international World Heritage Committee meeting to be held in New Zealand at the end of June.

Instead, both governments can now highlight that Australia has committed to a world class plan that will set a new international benchmark in island eradications.

Today's decision means that WWF-Australia and Peregrine Adventures can now invest $100,000 pledged for vital infrastructure that will be shipped to Macquarie Island to assist in the eradication effort.

Glenyce Johnson, CEO of Peregrine Adventures, also welcomed the decision. "This will help to ensure a future for one of Australia's - and the world's - most spectacular and environmentally significant island habitats. The partnership between WWF-Australia and Peregrine also sets a precedent for what can be achieved by environmental groups and tourism operators working together."

by Elise Hawthorne