Rocky Refuges
Inger Vandyke

Beneath the blush of dawn, the rocky islets that crown the length of the New South Wales coast are the first to catch a glimpse of the rising sun. Characterised by their own unique geographic features, their locations and the animals that use them, the coastal islands of New South Wales are an eclectic mix of protected sanctuaries whose problems vary almost as much as their landscapes.

Island Arks

Conservation efforts on these islands have differed greatly over the years. Publicised campaigns to rid certain islands of introduced pests have resulted in special interest groups collaborating with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to eradicate introduced scourges of black rats (Rattus rattus), feral rabbits, and perhaps the most insidious problem, that of introduced weeds. The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has supported a number of projects to combat these threats, including invaluable work on Lord Howe Island to eradicate rats that threatened nesting flesh footed shearwaters, the endangered Woodhen and other nesting seabirds. On Cabbage Tree Island the Foundation funded rabbit eradication and work to suppress bird lime tree (Pisonia umbellifera), with the result that the breeding numbers for the rare and endangered Gould's Petrel have increased. Montague Island has been successfully rid of both feral rabbits and rats and over the last decade the focus has shifted to eradicating both kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) and sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) from the island. More recently, black rats have been successfully removed from Brush Island in the Murramarang National Park - see our Winter Issue - and an active program to remove Bitou bush from the Tollgate islands off Batemans Bay has been undertaken.

Trouble in Paradise

Sadly not all of New South Wales islands are afforded the same conservation value or protection. Perhaps the most troubled of all are the Five Islands that lie off the coast from Wollongong. Home to over 40,000 nesting birds including Silver Gulls, Sooty Oystercatchers, Little Penguins, Wedge Tailed Shearwaters, Short Tailed Shearwaters, Australian Ibis, Crested Terns and Australian Pelicans, the Five Islands lie paradoxically less than 500m across the water from one of the largest industrial sites in New South Wales, the steel works at Port Kembla. Despite the 24 hour light pollution and the overgrowth of kikuyu, seabirds persist on using these islands as a key nesting site.

On a recent trip to Big Island it took me twice as long to traverse the western side of the island due to the hip high kikuyu growth. Arriving at Consett Hut, the base established by the Southern Ocean Seabird Study Association (SOSSA) to monitor seabird numbers on the islands, a bitou bush had also sprouted through the floorboards. During peak breeding periods, it is heartbreaking to work on burrowing seabirds like Little Penguins and Shearwaters, and pull the odd corpse through a mass of kikuyu root entanglement, only to discover that the bird has died a slow death from starvation or from permanent injury suffered through its inability to escape the mesh like growth of kikuyu invading its burrow. Bowen Island on the southern end of Jervis Bay in ACT is suffering a similar fate.

Future Challenges

Perhaps the greatest challenges facing groups working to preserve these coastal islands include the cessation of any unauthorised access, the control of invasive weeds and feral pests and the inclusion of their surrounding waters into a Marine Park system.

The one great hope for island habitats lies in their isolation. Eradication of weeds and pest animals is possible and migratory seabirds quickly reclaim regenerated roost and breeding sites. On an island the loss of biodiversity due to pests can be reversed.

If moves continue with an aim to preserving every NSW coastal island, then we will see more Sooty Oystercatchers using our shores to forage, more Crested Terns using our coastal beaches to roost and teach their young to fish and more Little Penguins riding the waves on an early morning surf.

All images Inger Vandyke

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