Gould’s Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera

In the early 1990s a survey of the endangered Gould’s Petrel found numbers had dwindled alarmingly to around 200 nesting pairs. In addition, offspring numbers were declining and they were only breeding at one location, Cabbage Tree Island, near Port Stephens on Australia's East Coast. The rescue of the Gould's Petrel became one of the most amazing conservation successes in history and triggered headlines in newspapers around the world.

The decline of the birds began in 1906 when rabbits were introduced to the island. Their number s multiplied and within a short time they had eaten understorey plants, leaving the petrels vulnerable to attacks by Pied Currawongs. Sticky fruit from the Bird-lime Tree entangled chicks and adults as it found its way to the forest floor.

Backed by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife, scientists Nick Carlile and David Priddel undertook a highly innovative and scientifically based recovery program that has successfully rescued the Gould’s Petrel from the brink of extinction.

During 1997 to 1999 the NPWS eradicated rabbits from the island and introduced control measures for both the currawongs and the Bird-lime trees in the breeding areas. Eventually the understorey plants will regenerate and the natural ecological balance will be restored.

A second colony has also been established on nearby Boondelbah Island through an innovative translocation program. Hatchlings were removed to this new site in their nesting boxes and hand reared with a 98% success rate.

As a result the number of petrels nesting on Cabbage Tree Island has risen to 856 pairs, and the number of young produced each year has increased ten-fold to almost 500 per annum.

The Gould's Petrel Recovery Program has received accolades from around the globe and stands out as one of the world’s premier examples of the successful conservation of an endangered species.

Thanks to the efforts of the scientists and 100 volunteers from the Cumberland Bird Observers Club, the Gould’s Petrel is the first Australian bird to be downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable.

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has supported this work over the past decade.

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