If the community embraces the idea of a predator free island, the Great Barrier Island economy will benefit from a unique eco-tourism opportunity as the restoration of the biological diversity of the native flora and fauna becomes nationally and internationally recognised.

Perhaps the island could follow the proactive conservation stance taken by Lord Howe Island with its World Heritage status. They have now eliminated pigs, goats and feral cats and are currently planning total rat eradication. Domestic cats must be neutered and no new cats brought in. Visitors are limited to 400 at one time.

Just 11km by 2.5km, Lord Howe has the same spectacular scenery that we see here and although politically Australian, it is biologically more closely allied to New Zealand (1000m beneath the surface both Norfolk and Lord Howe are part of the sunken continent of Zealandia). However it has lost almost all its endemic birds.

The following article is from Ian Hutton, a naturalist working there and explains more about their projects……..

In 1979, as part of a program to rescue the Wooden (a small flightless bird about the size of a weka) the Lord Howe Island Board completed a project of trapping and removing feral cats from the Island. In 1982 the Board placed a ban on domestic cats as pets, with a grandfather clause whereby people who had pets could keep them if desexed, but no more to come onto the Island, and they have gradually all disappeared.

This, plus removal of feral pigs and control of dogs has made it possible for the numbers of the Woodhen to recover from 20 to around 250, and they are living within the settlement area. Not only has this made the Island a safe environment for the Woodhen, but other birds have greatly benefited. Little shearwaters, once plentiful on the island, were forced off by cats a century ago, but have now started breeding back on the main island again. Other seabird numbers have increased on the Island - Sooty terns and Wedge-tailed shearwaters are breeding in bigger numbers each year. Seabirds are one of the major tourist draw cards to Lord Howe Island.

The cost benefits to the community would be a huge saving in poison program costs, an increase in revenue for the island palm industry, no loss of vegetable and fruit crops, and elimination of health risks associated with rodents.

  The environmental benefits would be even greater- rats would not be eating seeds, stems and roots of native plants; seabird and landbird numbers would increase; the native gecko and skink would increase from rare to abundant, and numbers of endangered invertebrate animals such as snails would increase. Also there are several invertebrates that rats have removed completely from the main island and only survive on offshore islets; when rodents are eradicated these can be brought back to the main island.