Henderson Island is one of the few places in the world that is virtually unaltered by man. Imagine one of the most remote places in the world. Henderson Island, in the central South Pacific Ocean, is 3,000 miles from the  nearest large land mass. It is one of four islands in the Pitcairn group, which is one of the UK Overseas Territories. The UK has a responsibility for the island and all its wildlife. “Step ashore onto Henderson Island and you will see fairy terns arguing on bare branches and a tiny black flightless crake emerging from the dense underbrush. The ground of the forest floor is strewn with coral heads and giant clamshells, symbols of the rich wildlife on these distant shores. Climb a small tree and listen to sounds heard nowhere else on earth: crooning doves and chattering pairs of courting petrels flying overhead. “Yet, all of these birds are under threat because of Pacific rats, one of the few human legacies. Rats simply cannot  resist eating a fluffy day-old petrel chick. Luckily, technical expertise is advancing in leaps and bounds. We now have an opportunity to rid Henderson forever of the rats and ensure the island remains a natural jewel. I am sure that you share my concern for Henderson Island’s exceptional wildlife and you will want to ensure its survival. With your help, it will be secure for generations to come.”

Sir David Attenborough.           Henderson Island has birds and other wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. The number of endemic species on Henderson Island makes it unique. Henderson Island is a World Heritage Site and is the largest pristine raised coral atoll in the world. Atolls are formed when coral grows around a volcanic island; volcanic action makes the original island sink and the coral continues to grow upwards around it. On Henderson Island, where the ecology has remained intact and has not been damaged by human activity, there are four bird species and nine plants found nowhere else on Earth. There are dozens of invertebrates, including eight Henderson snails, which exist nowhere else on this planet. It is a critical nesting site for 12 different seabird species, including four types of petrel, as well as for marine turtles. Pacific rats, introduced by people who used to live here, are killing Henderson Island’s unique wildlife. With the rats came problems for the island’s birds. Fieldwork has shown that most of the chicks of Henderson Island’s four species of petrel are eaten alive by rats within the first week of hatching; these birds are now in long-term decline. Henderson Island is one of the world’s most important sites for this group of species but numbers are estimated to have dropped from millions to just thousands now. At least four species of landbird and four of seabird vanished from Henderson Island after the rats arrived. Pacific rats are also likely to be reducing populations of turtles and other wildlife on Henderson Island, while their broad diet reduces the availability of fruit, flower and invertebrate food for the Henderson fruit-dove, lorikeet and crake. Our detailed research shows that a rat eradication programme is highly likely to succeed and save Henderson Island’s unique birds from extinction. Around the world, invasive rodents have been eradicated from 284 islands. We can see no reason why the same procedures won’t work on Henderson Island. We will use helicopters guided by GPS equipment to drop poisoned bait methodically across the island. The bait is designed to be as attractive as possible to rats and of minimal interest to Henderson Island’s birds, and the helicopters can fire it everywhere there may be rats. Another bait drop 10 days later ensures all rats are eradicated. The operation is planned to take place in August and September 2011 and will involve an eight-week charter from New Zealand of a support vessel with a helipad and space for two helicopters. Few projects have such clear and achievable objectives. If we can raise sufficient funds, we can eradicate the rats. This will remove the key threat of extinction faced by the Henderson petrel and other species, and we will have protected the biodiversity of this wonderful wild place. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to change the fate of this unique place and we need your help. Michele Christian, Natural Resources Manager, Pitcairn Group, says: “Henderson is a beautiful island and has been recognised by its World Heritage Status. It is also an island that is greatly valued locally by the Pitcairn Community. We support this project to remove rats from the island, and we know that the island's natural wealth will improve significantly when it is rat-free.” Please pledge your support to help us raise the £1.5 million needed to eradicate the rats. Science shows us we can do this. We have already been promised funding of £300,000 from the Packard Foundation and have received pledges totalling £200,000 from two private individuals. However, all are subject to raising the remaining £1,000,000. We are asking the UK Government to contribute at least 33% of the total cost, to meet their responsibilities to this World Heritage Site. Extinction is not a word to use lightly. It means the final, irrevocable disappearance of a species from the face of the Earth. Never to be seen again or enjoyed by our descendants, except as a museum exhibit. We cannot let this happen to the beautiful birds of

Henderson Island. We must act now before it’s too late. The birds on Henderson Island need our help. Their numbers have dropped from millions to thousands, and without intervention, several species could become extinct. The problem is rats that were introduced to the island. The solution is simple: eradicate the rats. But we need your support to help us do this. www.rspb.org.uk The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. 441-1116-09-10  The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing – help us keep it that way. The RSPB is part of BirdLife International, the global partnership of bird conservation organisations.

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Photo: Alve Henricson