£2 million Government support to protect rare albatrosses on Gough Island

£2 million Government support to protect rare albatrosses on Gough Island

Written by Defra Press Office

Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbenena, young chick in nest, Gough Island World Heritage Site, South Atlantic, March. Credit: RSPB


Today there is positive coverage in the Telegraph about an upcoming project to boost numbers of the critically endangered Tristan Albatross on a UK Overseas Territory

There is positive coverage today in the Telegraph about a RSPB project to protect Tristan Albatrosses, a critically endangered species, on a UK Overseas Territory, Gough Island.

The UK Government has given over £2 million in funding to the RSPB project which will begin in January 2020. The project will provide protection to Tristan Albatrosses in the hope to boost their numbers by eradicating giant mice from the island. The giant mice are an invasive species, which were accidently introduced to the island is the 19th century, which attack the albatross chicks and have had a significant impact on their population numbers.

Minister for Biosecurity Lord Gardiner said:

The Gough Island project is an inspiring example of how we are helping our Overseas Territories protect their precious wildlife and plants. This ambitious work will be essential in saving two endangered bird species, the majestic Tristan albatross and the Gough Bunting.

Invasive non-native species threaten the survival of species around the world and we will keep investing and working with partners to defend biodiversity at home and abroad.

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