SOS Puffin 300!

Trustee and SOS Puffin founder, John Hunt, reflects on the project’s impact over the last 11 years and what the future might bring for our local puffin populations.

John Hunt, Trustee and SOS Puffin Founder

The Scottish Seabird Centre launched the SOS Puffin project in 2007 to tackle the problem of the invasive plant tree mallow which threatened the important populations of Puffins and other seabirds on three of the islands near North Berwick. At that time none of us fully realised what we were taking on or would have guessed that 11 years and 300 work parties later, we would still be hard at it.

When we began, Craigleith was completely covered in a jungle of tree mallow up to nearly three metres high, Fidra was rapidly heading the same way and tree mallow was spreading on the Lamb. It was a daunting task and it took two years hard work by our volunteers before we completed a first cut of the tree mallow, only to discover that the plant regenerated like crazy and we seemed to be back where we started. However we kept at it and slowly we have brought tree mallow under control. For the last eight years Puffins have been able to nest on the islands without being prevented or deterred by tree mallow and the population on Craigleith has recovered from a very low level, while numbers on Fidra and the Lamb have held up well.

The project has of course depended entirely on the enthusiasm and commitment of our volunteers who continue to come forward offering their help. Nearly 1200 people of all ages have been out on work parties, many of them coming back again and again. It is marvellous to see how much they enjoy the whole experience of a work party – the fun of the boat journey, the magic of the island wildlife and landscape together with the satisfaction of clearing areas of tree mallow. Many volunteers have made good friends on these trips and for a few it has been a life changing experience.

The project is overseen by a management group and has been a happy collaboration between various individuals and organisations. Aberdeen University carry out the ecological monitoring on Craigleith which has provided a valuable ongoing guide to the practical work. The RSPB owns Fidra and they contribute there by organising some additional work parties. Scottish Natural Heritage provides help and advice since the islands have official designations for their scientific interest. Other landowners have also been very supportive. Various lessons learnt from the project are promoted through talks and publications.

Where do we go from here? The number of work parties needed has slowly declined as less tree mallow returns each year. However there is a great deal of seed still in the soil and we are really fighting a long term battle with this seed bank. Each year we aim to cut all the mallow to prevent it producing more seed and slowly maritime grasses and other plants are replacing it. We shall need to continue work parties for a number of years yet before we can relax. It is unlikely that we will ever eliminate tree mallow but we hope to reduce it to the stage that it can be dealt with by the occasional work party. The future of our seabirds really depends on what happens at sea, but I am sure our wonderful volunteers will continue to keep their island homes in good condition.

Many thanks to Viridor Credits who generously grant aided the project and to many others who have supported us in various ways. In particular, thanks to the boat skippers who have safely transported us to and from the islands.