28 May 2019
The number of seabirds on an island in
the Bristol Channel has soared following the eradication of rats,
conservationists have revealed.
There has been a boost in the numbers
of Manx shearwater, puffins and guillemots on Lundy Island 15 years after a
project to remove rats ended.
The RSPB said the number of seabirds on
the island, off Devon, had tripled to 21,000.
The charity said the recovery had
"far exceeded our expectations".
Helen Booker, senior conservation
officer for RSPB, said: "This study clearly shows how quickly and
positively seabirds respond to the removal of non-native predators.
"Of course, we had anticipated
major population increases when the project was launched, but the scale of this
recovery has far exceeded our expectations."
The project was launched in 2003 by
Natural England, the Landmark Trust, the National Trust and RSPB, and aimed to
eradicate the rats because they posed the biggest threat to the survival of the
birds.
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