A conference was held at the University of Auckland on 19 to 23 February 2001 by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Eradication of Island Invasives: Practical Actions and Results Achieved includes 37 pages of abstracts of papers and posters presented at the conference.
In 2019 scientist Flossy Sperring commenced a doctoral research project focusing on population genetics, ecology and conservation management of the Norfolk Island Morepork. This 1hr video is a recording of Flossy’s recent talk given to the community in January 2024. The first half summarises the key findings from her PhD studies. The second half focuses on the genetics of the current owl population and potential future steps the national park may take to protect this species.
Access the video file directly (678 MB).
Norfolk Island’s largest native land snail Advena campbellii is one of the three Critically Endangered species
Land snails are underappreciated but play essential roles in recycling nutrients in soils and as food for many animals. Around 60 unique land snail species call Norfolk and Phillip Islands home. They come in a remarkable variety of shapes and colours but are facing threats from predators like rats and flatworms, and habitat loss. Currently, two species have become extinct while three species are Critically Endangered. Following the footsteps of Australian Museum researchers, PhD candidate Junn Kitt Foon of Western Sydney University is undertaking a three-year project to study:
(1) How are the last populations of these threatened snails genetically connected to each other?
(2) What habitats are best for native snails?
(3) How much are these snails affected by non-native predators?
(4) How might climate change affect these snails?
Answering these questions will hopefully help secure the long-term survival of these unique Norfolk and Phillip Island species. If you are keen to volunteer in future fieldwork or if you are a landowner interested to know what land snails can be found in the scrub on your land, please contact Junn by email: 22078036 AT SYMBOL student.westernsydney.edu.au or Junn.Foon AT SYMBOL Australian.Museum
We thank Junn Toon for this account of this important research.
Four fact sheets on these pests have been prepared by Dr Anthony Rice. Colour photos to aid identification and managment are included.
The Pest Management Strategy 2021-2026 was produced by the Norfolk Island Regional Council to guide its operations.
The honey bee population on Norfolk Island is unique from a pest and disease perspective. No other honey bee population in the world has fewer pests and pathogens. This important finding was confirmed in 2022 by a survey by Dr John Roberts of CSIRO. The report recommended that ongoing surveillance in Norfolk Island as part of the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program be resourced. Read the report here. The report can also be found on the Department’s website: Norfolk Island bee pest survey 2021–2022. The Department has summarised the results as follows:
“Honey bees are an important part of the ecosystem and culture of Norfolk Island. Honey bees support food security through reliable pollination services as well as producing honey and hive products. Having access to up-to-date information on bee pests and diseases is critical to maintaining the Island’s bee biosecurity.
In December 2022 and April 2023, Dr John Roberts visited Norfolk Island to conduct surveys of the honey bee population. Under the guidance of Norfolk Island’s beekeepers, Dr Roberts collected samples from bees, honey and hives to test for pests and diseases. He sampled 67 bee colonies (approximately 50% of all managed colonies) and inspected and tested for 16 pests and diseases.
The key findings of the survey are:
The report made three recommendations:
In 1968, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australia’s peak environmental community organisation, published a 50-page booklet, The Conservation of Norfolk Island (4.5 MB). The booklet was reprinted in 1969 and 1975. The PDF file has been optimised for web use. A scanned version with greater resolution is available (111 MB).
Along with justification for an ethic of conservation, the report includes descriptions of local areas, recommendations about conservation and appendices with lists of the species of plants and animals.
In 2012-2014 the Department of Agriculture conducted a comprehensive survey of the plant and animal pests and diseases of the Island, coordinated by resident Glynn Maynard. The report is publicly available.
Supporting data
The data amassed during the survey have been published open access as appendices to the following paper:
Maynard, G V, B J Leschi and S F Malfroy. 2018. “Norfolk island quarantine survey 2012-2014 – a comprehensive assessment of an isolated subtropical island“. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales Vol. 140: 7-243.
Feral (wild) cats – and domestic cats on the prowl at night – have a devastating effect on native wildlife, which has not evolved to coexist with an efficient predator like the cat.
In April 2017, Margaret Christian of the Society prepared an brief explanatory memorandum which eventually accompanied a questionnaire for the people of the Island, conducted by the Norfolk Island Regional Council. The survey form presented three options:
Option 1 – Do nothing
Option 2 – Ban cats from Norfolk Island
Option 3 – Allow continued cat ownership under controlled conditions.
The survey revealed that 12% of respondents wanted cats banned completely and another ~68% wanted cats to be controlled. There was a vocal campaign by the cat lovers to be engaged in the survey. They took out half page advertisements in the paper, but the results showed that they were in a minority.
Unfortunately, the changes in governance came soon after and there has not been much progress towards establishing a Pound, one of the highest priority proposals that came out of the survey. However, the present Island-wide cat monitoring and some feral cat control has been funded by the Australian Government, using the survey results as evidence of the community’s attitude supportive of control.
Before ceasing, the Cat Welfare and Wildlife Protection Association of Norfolk Island transferred a significant quantum of its residual funds to the Society to ensure that any cats trapped would be treated humanely.
