Rat-Free Island Sees Bird Bonanza After 20 Years

Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel has become a flourishing sanctuary for seabirds, with numbers soaring two decades after invasive rats were eradicated. Officially declared rat-free in March 2006, the island now supports over 40,000 seabirds, including puffins, razorbills, and guillemots, marking the highest population recorded since the 1930s.

The transformation is particularly evident in the Manx shearwater population, which has grown from under 600 birds in 2001 to over 25,000 today, making Lundy Island home to 95% of the species breeding in England. Puffins, once on the brink of extinction on the island, have seen a dramatic increase from just 13 birds in 2000 to 1,335 currently. Species that had seemingly vanished due to rat predation have also returned.

The eradication of rats, an ongoing threat to burrow-nesting birds introduced inadvertently, was a collaborative effort by the RSPB, Natural England, the National Trust, and the Landmark Trust, initiated in 2002. Strict biosecurity measures, including cargo checks and monitoring stations, have successfully maintained the island's rat-free status since 2006. Conservationists advocate for increased ambition in nature conservation, drawing parallels between Lundy's success and potential national-level impact.