Threatened species & ecological communities

National Recovery Plan for the Christmas Island Shrew (Crocidura attenuata trichura)

Prepared by Martin Schulz for
The Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2004
ISBN 0 642 55011 5

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Part E: Duration of recovery plan and estimated costs

Stage 1 - Costs of actions prior to location of extant populations
Recovery Action Year of Implementation
  1 2 3 4 5 Total
Action 1: Investigate the taxonomic status 10000 - - - - 10000
Action 2: Investigate current status and distribution# 58000 58000 58000 58000 58000 290000
Action 3: Develop wildlife management program * * * * * -
Action 4: Control abundance and spread of the crazy ant * * * * * -
Action 5: Implement community awareness program 4000 * * * * 4000
TOTAL COST 72000 58000 58000 58000 58000 304000

# = The cost of Action 2 is dependent on the number of years taken to locate extant populations and fully determine its distribution;
* = Costs covered by Parks Australia North core duties.

Stage 2 - Alternative costs if extant populations found in Year 1
Recovery Action Year of Implementation
  1 2 3 4 5 Total
Action 2: Investigate current status and distribution# 58000 - - - - 58000
Action 6: Establish captive population¥ 50000 30000 30000 30000 30000 170000
Action 7: Manage located populations 10000 10000 10000 10000 10000 50000
Action 8: Identify and describe habitat critical 29000 29000 - - - 58000
Action 9: Identify threatening processes 15000 15000 - - - 30000
TOTAL COST 162000 84000 40000 40000 40000 366000

# = Depending on the year of location of extant populations;
¥ = This cost is assuming no reintroduction of captive shrews into the wild;
* = Costs covered by Parks Australia North core duties.

Resource Allocation

The cost estimates are dependent on the year of location of extant shrew populations. Resources have been allocated for the full five years to conduct surveys to locate shrew populations over one month periods in the wet and dry seasons of each year.

Some of the actions outlined (e.g. Action 4) in this Plan are identified in the Christmas Island National Park Plan of Management (Commonwealth of Australia 2002), the strategic nature conservation document for the island, as broader actions necessary for the maintenance of fauna biodiversity on the island. Similarly, in this Plan some of the actions recommended (e.g. Action 4) correspond with those identified in other recovery (e.g. Abbott's Booby and Christmas Island Hawk-Owl) and action plans (e.g. Garnett & Crowley 2000). Consequently, opportunities exist for sharing resources, and a co-ordinated strategy to implement Recovery Plans for all threatened Christmas Island fauna requires investigation.

A number of Actions are already ongoing (e.g. Actions 3, 4 and 9) and may be considered as core duties of PAN .

The establishment of captive breeding populations could be in association with the establishment of captive populations of critically endangered endemic avifauna in mainland zoos (Garnett & Crowley 2000). This strategy would reduce transportation costs (e.g. for release back into the wild) and quarantine procedures to ensure non-exposure to potentially fatal diseases. Alternatively, a captive breeding population could be established on Christmas Island under the guidance of PAN staff and used to aid in interpretation and community awareness programs.

Following the location of extant populations of the shrew, research is required in the same year and subsequent year over the wet and dry seasons, to identify and describe habitat critical to survival (in terms of foraging, breeding and sheltering) and threatening processes. Effective management of the located shrew populations will be ongoing and encompass both management practices covered as core PAN duties, and specialist actions that will only be identified following research into the shrew's ecology.

The community awareness program will involve the preparation of an informative brochure that can be widely distributed amongst island residents. The other aspect of this program involves information sessions that can be given by PAN staff as part of an overall awareness program on the value of the endemic Christmas Island fauna.

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