Peter Carr MRes. Ph.D.
Profile
The focus of my work going forward is to bring about the “rewilding” of the archipelago. Involving several other stakeholders, this hugely ambitious project aims to eradicate invasive rats from the northern atolls and manage the abandoned coconut plantations on these rat-infested islands. This will facilitate a more natural terrestrial habitat conducive to native flora and fauna. It is predicted that this ecological intervention will result in a substantial increase in the internationally important breeding populations of seabirds and this in turn has benefits across ecosystems including nearshore coral reefs.
Rewilding the Chagos Archipelago is no longer a green dream, it is a matter of political goodwill and funding
Biography
My Project
Other interests
Rats were introduced in to the Chagos Archipelago by man. Alongside native habitat destruction as a consequence of coconut farming, these two factors have caused cataclysmic declines in the numbers of seabirds breeding in the archipelago over a period of less than 150 years. I managed the successful eradication of rats from three islands in the Chagos MPA in 2014 and I am currently the team leader in the largest eradication of rats and mice from an inhabited island (Lord Howe, Australia).
I am also the author of Birds of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
My Publications
Seabird diversity and biomass enhance cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies
Benkwitt, C.E., Carr, P., Wilson, S.K., Graham, N.A.J. Seabird diversity and biomass enhance cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B
A Review of a Decade of Lessons From One of the World’s Largest MPAs: Conservation Gains and Key Challenges
Hays, G.C., Koldewey, H.J., Andrzejaczek, S., Attrill, M.J., Barley, S., Bayley, D.T.I., Benkwitt, C.E., Block, B., Schallert, R.J., Carlisle, A., Carr, P., Chapple, T.K., Collins, C., Diaz, C., Dunn, N., Dunbar, R.B., Eager, D.S., Engel, J., Embling, C.B., Esteban, N., Ferretti, F., Foster, N.L., Freeman, R., Gollock, M., Graham, N.A.J., Harris, J.L., Head, C.E.I, Hosegood, P., Howell, K.L., Hussey, N.E., Jacoby, D.M.P., Jones, R., Pilly, J.S., Lange, I.D., Letessier, T.B., Levy, E., Lindhart, M., McDevitt-Irwin, J.M., Meekan, M., Meeuwig, J.J., Micheli, F., Mogg, A., Mortimer, J.A., Mucciarone, D.A., Nicoll, M.A., Nuno, A., Perry, C., Preston, S.G., Rattray, A.J., Robinson, E., Roche, R., Schiele, M., Sheehan, E.V., Sheppard, A., Sheppard, C., Smith, A.L., Soule, B., Spalding, M., Stevens, G.M.W., Steyaert, M., Stiffel, S., Taylor, B.M., Tickler, D., Trevail, A.M., Trueba, P., Turner, J., Votier, S., Wilson, B., Williams, G., Williamson, B., Williamson, M.J., Wood, H. and Curnick, D.J. (2020) A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges. Marine Biology.
Climate Oscillation and the Invasion of Alien Species Influence the Oceanic Distribution of Seabirds
Perez-Correa, J., Carr, P., Meeuwig, J., Koldewey, H.J. and Letessier, T. (2020) Climate oscillation and alien species invasion influences oceanic seabird distribution. Ecology and Evolution.
Status and Phenology of Breeding Seabirds and a Review of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in the British Indian Ocean Territory
Carr, P., Votier, S., Koldewey, H., Godley, B., Wood, H. and Nicoll, M.A.C. (2020) Status and phenology of breeding seabirds and a review of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Bird Conservation International.
Seabirds Enhance Coral Reef Productivity and Functioning in the Absence of Invasive Rats
Graham, N. A., Wilson, S. K., Carr, P., Hoey, A. S., Jennings, S., & MacNeil, M. A. (2018). Seabirds enhance coral reef productivity and functioning in the absence of invasive rats. Nature, 559(7713), 250.