Action

Action Synopsis: Bird Conservation About Actions

Control mammalian predators on islands for waders

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    not assessed
  • Certainty
    not assessed
  • Harms
    not assessed

Study locations

Key messages

  • A controlled before-and-after study in New Zealand found that the Chatham Island oystercatcher Haematopus chathamensis population increased following the removal of feral cats Felis catus and other species.
  • A second controlled before-and-after study in Alaska, USA, found small increases in black oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani breeding populations on two islands, but the overall population only increased on one, declining on the other.

 

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A controlled before-and-after on Simeonof (4,000 ha) and Chernabura (3,000 ha) Islands in the Shumagin Islands, Alaska (Byrd et al. 1997), found that the probable breeding populations of black oystercatchers Haematopus bachmani increased following the eradication of introduced arctic foxes Alopex lagopus (Simeonof: four pairs in 1994 vs. five in 1995; Chernabura: three and five pairs). Total estimated population increased on Simeonof (34 to 41 birds) but decreased on Chernabura (25 to 19 birds). Oystercatcher densities were significantly lower than on islands without foxes.

    Study and other actions tested
  2. A controlled before-and-after study on Chatham Island (899 km2), New Zealand between 1999 and 2005 (Moore 2005) found that the number of Chatham Island oystercatchers Haematopus chathamensis breeding in a 14 km stretch of beach increased from 16 to 35 pairs over the study period, following the initiation of control (trapping and shooting) of predators, principally feral cats Felis catus, but also other introduced mammals and weka Gallirallus australis. Birds in the management area fledged 18-35 chicks/year, compared with very low fledging success in unmanaged areas.

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

 

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

Bird Conservation

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation
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What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

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