Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2007B00392:body:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2007B00392
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 34348–37175

The decline may be explicable by the loss of breeding habitat in the Dryers colony and if this appears to be the case, there may be no need for other action. The monitoring program will suggest whether there has been significant loss of breeding habitat from the other colony areas, and if this is the case, investigations and strategies will need to be developed to try and reverse this loss of breeding habitat.

In the longer term, knowledge of where sub-adults and non-breeding adults forage is essential to allow planning for their long-term conservation in the face of inevitable, increased pressures on the marine resources of the north-east Indian Ocean. Seabird surveys in the Indian Ocean are carried out by a number of countries and the Recovery Team should support this work and facilitate its synthesis (see Cadee 1985, Dunlop et al. 1988, Ballance et al. 1997). The Recovery Team for both this species and Abbott's Boobies should support the placement of suitable observers such as from the Australasian Seabird Group of Birds Australia or other vessels conducting surveys in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Specific Objective:  1. Maximising extent of occurrence and total population size.
              Criteria: Breeding distribution of Christmas Island Frigatebirds maintained or increased on Stokes (1988) levels.
              Action: 3. Monitor and/or assist the recovery of the Dryers breeding colony.
Monitor the recovery of the vegetation within dust affected areas. Dust affected areas need to be compared with unaffected areas. There are several possible methods of monitoring changes in the vegetation. One possibility is the use of some type of remote sensing technique such as the use of landsat images or aerial photography using a pixellated image. These techniques would require comparison with forest of a similar structure in a healthy condition. A colour scale which grades healthy to unhealthy trees would be used to assess the condition of the vegetation in the dryer's colony.  Alternatively, individual trees could be mapped and their health monitored using subjective measures recorded from the ground. The resulting monitoring program should be as simple as possible and only need checking a few times each year. Ideally it should be set-up so that a monitoring round only takes a few hours every few months permitting PANCI staff to carry out monitoring.

Christmas Island Frigatebirds: Any remaining nests which occur along the fringes of the dust affected areas need be monitored (if they are still obvious). Five nest trees occurring in this fringing zone were found and labelled in September 1994, however, this short survey was not comprehensive (A. Dunn unpubl. data). These trees would have to be located and mapped and should be checked each year for use and if birds return to nest