T. Micol et P. Jouventin, RESTORATION OF AMSTERDAM ISLAND, SOUTH INDIAN-OCEAN, FOLLOWING CONTROL OF FERAL CATTLE, Biological Conservation, 73(3), 1995, pp. 199-206
Among the French islands of the South Indian Ocean, Amsterdam Island i
s the richest in endemic species but its indigenous terrestrial ecosys
tem has been drastically modified. Sealers and transoceanic voyagers c
aused irreversible damage to the native fauna and flora, either direct
ly by fires and culling, or indirectly by introduced mammals. An endem
ic flightless duck and several petrels have recently become extinct. N
evertheless, some of the endemic flora and fauna have survived and the
discovery of a relic population of Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amste
rdamensis in 1983 resulted in the establishment of a restoration progr
amme. Five cattle were introduced in 1871 and numbered about 2000 in 1
988. At this time the herd was both the main thr ent to endangered ind
igenous species and one of the very few feral herds of Bos taurus anyw
here in the world A compromise was decided upon between the urgent nee
d to protect the island and the scientific intel est of the herd. The
island was divided by a fence. Cattle were removed from the larger par
t, allowing the terrestrial ecosystem to become rehabilitated. In the
other part a management plan is in progress to control the size of the
population. The investigation of compromises between biological inter
est and practicability of the restoration programme is a necessary fi
rst step to successful island conservation.