ARC Chairman off to work on conservation project in French Polynesia

15 January 2010

ARC Chairman Mike Lee is taking private leave to work on a conservation project on Tetiaroa Atoll in French Polynesia for just over the next two weeks.

Mr Lee will join ex-pat Kiwi scientist James Russell of Berkeley University and Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie MANU on the atoll 50km north of Tahiti, on a project to restore seabirds to the 12 islets or motu of Tetiaroa.

Dr Russell achieved international recognition for an article published in the authoritative international scientific journal Nature, which described experiments with rats on the Noises islands in the Hauraki Gulf. (Intercepting the first rat ashore, James Russell, Nature)

Dr Russell and Mr Lee will be accompanied by senior field technician Sandra Anderson of Auckland University.

They will be working on 28ha Honuea island, trapping ship rats (black rats) and kiore (Polynesia rats). Honuea island is one of 12 in the atoll which covers 3366ha of coral reef, lagoon and islands.

Their objective is to increase the rodent free habitat on Tetiaroa to enable seabirds such as the red-footed booby, sooty tern, crested tern and great frigate bird to breed safely.

Mr Lee a keen conservationist who holds a Master’s degree in biological sciences. Deputy ARC Chairman Michael Barnett will be acting in Mr Lee’s place while he is away on private leave.

ENDS

© Scoop Media