Island Restoration

The Pennicott Foundation has also supported other island projects, including:

Small Islands Project – Tasmania has over 500 islands and islets. For many of these there are limited records of their biodiversity values and ecosystem health. This project undertakes a study of these islands and records their biodiversity through observations, flora surveys, motion sensing cameras and traps. Islands already studied include Green, Dart, Woody, Actaeon and Lachlan.

Fisher Island – Pennicott funds were used to assist Parks and Wildcare volunteers to remove a house mice population from Fisher Island in 2013. The 1ha island is only 300m offshore from Lady Barron (Flinders Island), within swimming distance for rodents. Bait stations, which only introduced rodents can access, will be maintained into the future to protect the island and its seabirds.

Maatsuyker Island – the Pennicott Foundation supports the habitat restoration and monitoring program carried out by volunteers on Maatsuyker Island, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This includes monitoring of short-tailed shearwaters to measure the recolonisation of areas previously infested by weeds and to enable annual estimates of breeding population and breeding success.

Bruny Island – in 2016 the Pennicott Foundation joined local community and government partners to develop a long-term strategy to eradicate feral cats from Bruny Island. The island provides important habitat for endangered and endemic birdlife. Eradication of feral cats from the island will protect vital habitat and allow bird populations to thrive.

The Pennicott Foundation continues to work closely with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service to identify new opportunities for island restoration projects.