Envu Collaborate on St Helens Island Conservation Project
Problem pests impact every environment. In addition to potential problems for public health or profit in domestic and commercial premises, are the issues that pests can cause in the wider landscape, where control is also crucial to protect environmentally sensitive areas and the species that depend on them for their survival.
Nestling 28 miles off the west coast of Cornwall is St Helens, a 26-hectare uninhabited island that forms part of the archipelago of the Isles of Scilly.
St Helens is of important environmental significance, providing a vital breeding ground for seabirds including Razorbills, Guillemots and Fulmars. Significantly, the island is home to growing numbers of Manx Shearwaters and a small colony of Puffins.
But it’s not all plain sailing, as the island’s seabird population is under threat as nests, chicks and even adult birds themselves fall prey to one of our most common pests, Rattus Norvegicus or the common rat.
Help is on hand however, as Envu has been working with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to help eradicate the population of rats from St Helens.
Richard Faulkner, Envu National Account Manager and Technical Manager for UK & Ireland explains, “The ground nesting bird population on St Helens has experienced a decline in population of almost 20% in the last 5 years. The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and RSPB have both said that the removal of rats will help ground nesting bird populations, and have called for more action to enhance, preserve and restore habitats.”
The island of St Helens is an environmentally sensitive area, as a vital nesting site for rare bird species. “To preserve the breeding ground, the goal is to eradicate the common rat population from the island while ensuring no detrimental effect to the environment or non-target species. In turn, this will prevent the predation of the eggs and chicks of ground nesting bird populations, helping to restore, enhance and protect the seabirds and their habitat.”
Understanding the environment and unique challenges of the sensitive site has meant exceptional care in selecting products and delivery methods aligned with the goal of conservation and habitat protection. Having visited the island with Envu UK & Ireland’s Head of Marketing Tim Peeling in October 2023, Richard Faulkner planned to start the project a month later.
