LIFE Arċipelagu Garnija — Rat Control for the Yelkouan Shearwater, Malta

Malta holds over 10% of the global breeding population of the Yelkouan shearwater, a species threatened by invasive rats and coastal light pollution.

LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija (LIFE14 NAT/MT/000991), implemented by BirdLife Malta from September 2015 to August 2020 with a total eligible budget of EUR 1,261,940 (EU contribution EUR 757,220), targeted these threats to the Yelkouan shearwater.

The project ran rat control and localised eradication at eight sites where rat presence had been verified, including five Natura 2000 areas, and maintained the Filfla islet -- which holds the largest Maltese storm-petrel colony -- in rat-free condition through ongoing biosecurity. It also reduced coastal light pollution at ten breeding-colony sites, including converting 34 lights at Cirkewwa ferry terminal, and secured designation of a new Natura 2000 site (Wied il-Ghasri), creating 19 full-time positions during implementation and two permanent posts (a light-pollution officer and a field warden) afterwards.

According to the project's official results, rat control raised the reproductive success of Yelkouan shearwater in three monitored colonies from 4.65% to 7.06% between 2016 and 2020, alongside separately reported breeding-success rates reaching a species-satisfactory threshold (>=75%) in some colonies. Converting 34 lights at Cirkewwa cut light pollution there by roughly half.

The project itself notes that annual breeding success fluctuated year to year rather than rising monotonically, so the reported gain should be read as a five-year net change rather than a steady trend.