Recovery ActionsRecovery Actions

Recovery Actions

Action 1. Continue to protect North Keeling Island population. Surveillance actions within the park are outlined in the Pulu Keeling National Park Management Plan (Director of National Parks 2004). Protection and persistence of the CBBR population by Parks Australia North (PAN) should continue by via the actions outlined in the management plan.

Action 2. Continue to monitor North Keeling Island population. Monitoring by PAN staff using nine selected transects should continue every six months for three years. After three years the data should be analysed by a statistician and presented for review by the Recovery Team.

Action 3. Develop a Translocation Proposal for the reintroduction of CBBR to the Southern Atoll. The proposal should follow procedures of the WA Department for Conservation and Land Management. The proposal will consider all possible risks and scenarios, and will be formally agreed upon by all stakeholders. The proposal will outline the process for removal of potential threats on an island in the Southern Atoll, including eradication of cats and rats (if present), removal of chickens (if necessary), and habitat restoration, as well as ethical translocation procedures, performance criteria for determining success or failure and procedures required to determine for genetic viability of the translocated population. The Translocation Proposal will need to be prepared by a suitably skilled consultant (‘Project Scientist’) with assistance from the Wildlife Ranger, and should be independently reviewed. All relevant permit and approval processes will be addressed.

Action 4. Remove potential threatening processes (cats, rats and chickens) from the Southern Atoll island proposed for reintroduction. This action should be coordinated by the Project Scientist and the Wildlife Ranger.

Action 5. Conduct habitat restoration activities on island in Southern Atoll targeted for reintroduction at a rate of 3ha per year over 5 years. This action should be coordinated by the Wildlife Ranger with initial assistance from the Project Scientist.

Action 6. Trial methods of capture, radio-telemetry and intensive study on North Keeling Island within the first 12 months, so that home-range behaviour and patterns of dispersion on North Keeling Island can be compared to the reintroduced population after establishment in the Southern Atoll. This should be conducted by the Project Scientist, the Wildlife Ranger and an additional scientific officer employed to assist with this part of the recovery program. This work would encompass a very important component of training the Wildlife Ranger in wildlife capture, handling, radio-telemetry and monitoring techniques. Collection of material to be stored for genetic analysis would also occur. The trial should be complete within 3 months, with progress dependant on weather, biological factors, equipment and transport availability.