Not only do the UK’s islands support globally important populations of seabirds, they are also home to species and subspecies found nowhere else in the world. However, islands are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of invasives, and alien species are threatening many of these special wildlife sites. This article describe previous conservation efforts and proposes a strategy to ensure the continued protection of our island wildlife.
In the years since rats were eradicated from the tiny French island of Rouzic (Howald et al. 2007), island restoration – eradication of invasive non-native species, subsequent management for ecosystem recovery, and scrupulous attention to biosecurity – has become a mainstream conservation measure.