Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2006L03945:body:0:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2006L03945
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 2838–5753

the 1940s and were suspected to only occur on one (West Island) in the 1980s. Eight species of seabirds that formerly bred in large numbers on the southern atoll no longer breed there, but persist and breed on North Keeling Island- their populations were destroyed by habitat change and direct human hunting pressure long before the CBBR declined. The last definite Southern Atoll record of CBBR was a specimen killed by a cat on West Island in 1991. Despite some sightings on West Island in the early 2000s, none of which can be fully substantiated, recent surveys (2005) have confirmed the likely local extinction of CBBR from the Southern Atoll. Habitat modification, predation by cats, rats and humans, and competition with jungle fowls (and potentially rats) have probably all contributed to this extirpation. When the Southern Atoll population became small and fragmented, it is likely that cat predation became the most potent threat.

The remaining population on North Keeling Island is estimated at 850-1000 individuals in May 2005. This represents a slight but statistically non-significant increase in density from November 1999. The geographic isolation of this CBBR population (24km from the Southern Atoll), and features of North Keeling Island that prevented easy landing by boat and human habitation, have combined to save the North Keeling Island population from the fate suffered by the Southern Atoll birds. However, the singular nature of this population over such a small area leaves the species vulnerable to stochastic genetic and demographic factors and catastrophic events (tropical cyclones, tsunamis). The recovery of the species relies on the establishment of a second population, preferably on the Southern Atoll, through an integrated threat abatement, habitat restoration and reintroduction program. A reintroduction program will provide an opportunity for the Cocos Islanders and, in particular the Cocos Malay community, to participate fully in the recovery of the only bird taxon endemic to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Recovery actions include: continue to protect the North Keeling Island population; eradicate cats and rats from a suitable island in the Southern Atoll; reintroduce CBBR to this island; undertake habitat restoration on this island; and monitor the success of establishment.

Species Information
Population
Only one remaining population of the endemic Cocos Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi) is believed to exist. It is confined to North Keeling Island, with an area of 120ha and the sole island in the Northern Atoll of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) in the Indian Ocean. As such, this population is crucial to the taxon's survival. Formerly a population believed to be much larger (but never estimated), occurred over the much greater area of the Southern Atoll of the CKI. The former distribution (extent of occurrence) on the Southern