Abstract
The Montebello archipelago consists of 218 islands; 80 km from the north-west coast of Western Australia. Before 1912 the islands had a diverse terrestrial fauna. By 1952 several species were locally extinct. Between 1996 and 2011 rodents and cats were eradicated, and 5 mammal and 2 bird species were translocated to the islands. Monitoring of the broader terrestrial ecosystem over time has been limited. We used 20 dry-season Landsat images from 1988 to 2013 and estimation of green fraction cover in nadir photographs taken at 27 sites within the Montebello islands and six sites on Thevenard Island to assess change in vegetation density over time. Analysis of data averaged across the 26-year period suggests that 719 ha out of 2169 ha have increased in vegetation cover by up to 32%, 955 ha have remained stable and 0.6 ha have declined in vegetation cover. Over 492 ha (22%) had no vegetation cover at any time during the period analysed. Chronological clustering analysis identified two breakpoints in the average vegetation cover data occurring in 1997 and 2003, near the beginning and end of the rodent eradication activities. On many islands vegetation cover was declining prior to 1996 but increased after rodents were eradicated from the islands. Data for North West and Trimouille islands were analysed independently because of the potential confounding effect of native fauna being introduced to these islands. Mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) and Shark Bay mice (Pseudomys fieldi) both appear to suppress native plant recruitment but not to the same degree as introduced rodents. Future research should assess whether the increase in vegetation cover on the Montebello islands is due to an increase in native or introduced plants.
Highlights
The Montebello island archipelago consists of 218 islands, islets and rocks situated approximately 80 km from the north-west coast of Western Australia (WA)
Vegetation cover on the Montebello island archipelago was estimated via regression of green fraction cover in nadir photographs taken in 2013 against Landsat imagery collected between 1988 and 2013 (Supporting Information S1)
Renewal Island experienced the greatest increase in vegetation cover, changing from a minimum of 20% cover in 1994 to a maximum of 42% cover in 2009 (Figure 3)
Summary
The Montebello island archipelago consists of 218 islands, islets and rocks situated approximately 80 km from the north-west coast of Western Australia (WA). The largest islands in the archipelago are Hermite (984 ha), Trimouille (498 ha), North West (123 ha), Alpha (103 ha), Bluebell (61 ha) and Renewal (50 ha). The Montebello islands are isolated and uninhabited except for visitation by fishing and tourist charters, recreational vessels and occasional campers. Prior to 1912, the islands had a diverse terrestrial fauna, which included the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus), and spinifexbird (Eremiornis carteri) [1]. In 1952 and 1956, three British nuclear weapons tests were completed on the Montebellos and the islands and surrounding seas were placed under Commonwealth control and declared a prohibited area until 1992. In 1992, the Montebellos reverted to WA State control and were declared a Conservation Park
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