You can help create a Pacific Sanctuary
The birds of the Pacific are in peril. Since people arrived half of all bird species living then are now extinct. This tragedy continues with 45 species on the brink of extinction today.
Pacific birds evolved on islands without predators but today on almost all of these Islands rats and other destructive invaders prey on the native species.
Removing these invaders is the immediate priority. BirdLife International has assessed where this is feasible and so far has removed the pests from more than 30 Islands in five Pacific countries–Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Palau.
Nowhere is the situation more urgent than in French Polynesia, where most native birds are at immediate risk of extinction due to the rats and other pest introductions.
The remote Gambier archipelago of French Polynesia provides the best opportunity for protecting a large number of threatened birds. The removal of introduced pests, planned for early 2015, will allow the re-establishment of populations of at least nine Globally-threatened birds and other wildlife.
Sufficient funding has already been secured to remove the pests on three of the islands. Economy of scale means that for just another US$200,000, the job can be extended to all six islands, thereby safeguarding the nine Globally-threatened species in Gambier.
These islands are owned by local people so involving their communities is critical to this process. BirdLife works with local representatives to protect their environment and help prevent this frightening wave of extinctions.
You can save the birds
You can help save the Tuamotu and the Polynesian Ground-dove,
Murphy Petrel and other wonderful but endangered birds. You can make a lasting difference to the wildlife and people of Gambier.
Please make a gift to help restore the Pacific paradise. Only with your help can we save the birds.
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You can also contact:
Mike Britton
Pacific Regional Development Manager,
BirdLife Pacific
mike.britton@birdlife.org
Ph: +64 2178 3776
Organisations supporting this BirdLife project include SOP Manu (BirdLife in French Polynesia), the European Union, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the British Birdfair, T-Gear Trust Canada, Island Conservation and Bell Laboratories.
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