Island eradication expert gives a webinar on habitat restoration on World Albatross Day

jNew Zealander Keith Springer on a sub-Antarctic island

Keith Springer, Operations Manager for the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project, gave a talk entitled “Habitat Restoration on Islands in the Southern Ocean” in a webinar organized by BirdLife Australia to mark World Albatross Day with its theme of “Habitat Restoration” on 19 June 2026.

With a career that had its early days with New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, Antarctica New Zealand and the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, Keith has considerable experience in island eradication operations.  He led the successful (and award-winning) operation to eradicate European Rabbits, Black Rats and House Mice from Australia’s Macquarie Island, was part of the South Georgia Heritage Trust’s Habitat Restoration Project team that successfully eradicated Brown Rats and House Mice from South Georgia and has served as an advisor on many other rodent-eradication projects.  These have included being Operational Advisor and Safety Officer to the successful “Million Dollar Mouse” eradication on Antipodes Island and Operations Planner for the Gough Island Restoration Programme that aimed to eradicate that island’s mice (but unfortunately was not successful).

His presentation is now available for free viewing via YouTube.

“Join BirdLife Australia for World Albatross Day and explore how habitat restoration is helping threatened seabird populations recover. This webinar will highlight practical conservation action on breeding islands, from managing invasive vertebrate pests in the Southern Ocean to planning restoration at Gabo Island, Victoria.  Featuring Mr Keith Springer and Dr Yuna Kim, the session will share real-world examples of how healthier nesting habitats can improve breeding success for albatrosses and other seabirds, and why long-term restoration is essential for seabird conservation”

Keith’s presentation was followed by one by Yuna Kim, Birdlife Australia’s Seabird Project Coordinator on plans to restore Gabo Island, a 154-ha island off the coast of eastern Victoria, Australia.

Yuna Kim on Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales, Australia, where she studied the Vulnerable White-winged or Gould’s Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera for her PhD, awarded in 2015

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 July 2026