Archived News

The successful field season to bait the northern section of South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)* as part of the ambitious Habitat Restoration Project to eradicate Brown or Norway Rats Rattus norvegicus and House Mice Mus musculus from the whole island is now over (click here).

To complete the project, which is vastly larger than any rat eradication project ever attempted anywhere in the World, the southern end of the island still needs to be baited.  The project needs to raise UK£ 2.5 million to complete the baiting, which is due to recommence in early 2015.

“To help potential donors focus on what remains to be done, the southern area (comprising all rodent-infested areas south of the Phase 1 trial area baited in 2011), has been broken down into 31 distinct areas.  The amount need to bait each area has been calculated, and now individuals, foundations and other funding groups will be invited to target their own area.  The areas will range from a slice of the beautiful St Andrews Bay for around £10 000, to the biggest 5400-hectare area called ‘Ocean Harbour’ requiring £347 533 to be cleared of rats.

It is hoped that tour operators, working with their passengers, will want to take on some of the smaller subdivisions of popular tourist sites such as St Andrews Bay which is regularly visited by tour ships for the its plethora of wildlife, glaciers, rivers and stunning mountain backdrop.” (click here).

A Wandering Albatross nests on Prion Island with South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)*

in the background.  Photograph by Anton Wolfaardt

Progress with the eradication project can be followed by way of its regular newsletter Project News.  Click here to read more about the appeal for Phase 3 of the Habitat Restoration Project.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 August 2013

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.