Project Grant F23AP02541

THE SIHEK (GUAM KINGFISHER, TODIRAMPHUS CINNAMOMINUS) IS ENDEMIC TO GUAM BUT BECAME EXTINCT IN THEWILD BY 1988 DUE TO PREDATION BY INVASIVE BROWN TREESNAKES (BOIGA IRREGULARIS WILES ET AL. 2003). TWENTYNINEOF THE LAST WILD SIHEK WERE RESCUED TO CAPTIVITY TO START A CONSERVATION BREEDING PROGRAM, SAVING THESPECIES FROM EXTINCTION. HOWEVER, THE CAPTIVE POPULATION CURRENTLY CONSISTS OF ONLY 137 INDIVIDUALS(INCLUDING 49 FEMALES) AND IS PREDICTED TO DECLINE TO EXTINCTION UNDER CURRENT MANAGEMENT (JOHNSON ET AL.2015 TRASK ET AL. 2021). TO EXPAND THE CURRENT POPULATION AND PREVENT COMPLETE EXTINCTION OF THE SPECIES,THE SIHEK RECOVERY TEAM COMPRISED OF CONSERVATION TRANSLOCATION EXPERTS FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETYOF LONDON (ZSL), UNIVERSITY OF BERN, IUCN, GUAM DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DIVISION OF AQUATIC WILDLIFE RESOURCES (DAWR), GUAM KINGFISHER SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDS FISH WILDLIFEOFFICEHAS IDENTIFIED PALMYRA ATOLL AS A SUITABLE FIRST RELEASE SITE FOR SIHEK OUTSIDE THEIR HISTORICAL RANGE.RELEASES ARE SET TO BEGIN IN MID-2023 AND WILL MARK THE SPECIES FIRST RETURN TO THE WILD IN OVER 30 YEARS.THE SIHEK TEAM RECOGNIZES THAT THIS STRATEGY, WHILE POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL, INVOLVES RISK TO SIHEK THEMSELVESAND TO THE RECIPIENT ECOSYSTEM.IN THIS PROJECT, THE RECOVERY TEAM SEEKS TO FILL SOME KEY GAPS, SPECIFICALLY TO (I) REFINE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE(PRIORS) FOR THIS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN SYSTEM, (II) FORMALIZE ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS, (III) SET STATEDEPENDENTRESPONSES (INCLUDING TRIGGERS POINTS AND POSSIBLE EXIT STRATEGIES) BASED ON POTENTIAL OUTCOMES,AND (IV) SET UP A PROTOCOL TO UPDATE MODELS ACCURATELY AND PROMPTLY AS MONITORING DATA ARE COLLECTED. OURPROPOSAL AIMS TO FILL THESE GAPS BY RECRUITING A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (PDRA) TO OVERSEE ADAPTIVEMANAGEMENT OF THE PALMYRA ATOLL SIHEK PROGRAM.THE PDRA WILL FOCUS ON THREE UNCERTAIN, AND HENCE RISKY, ASPECTS OF THIS ASSISTED COLONIZATION. FIRST, THEYWILL ANALYZE QUANTITATIVELY THE EXPECTED DYNAMICS OF SIHEK DEMOGRAPHY, INCLUDING SUSTAINABLE HARVESTINGFROM THE CAPTIVE POPULATION AND MAXIMIZING ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS ON PALMYRA ATOLL. THIS WILL INVOLVEUPDATING AN INTEGRATED POPULATION MODEL LINKING BOTH THE CAPTIVE AND WILD POPULATIONS. SECOND, THEY WILLSUPERVISE A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF DISEASE RISKS, INCLUDING DEVISING METHODS TO MITIGATE RISKS TO SIHEK ANDTHE RECIPIENT ECOSYSTEM. THIS WILL INCLUDE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH SCREENING DATA FROM SIHEK IN A PRE-RELEASEQUARANTINE FACILITY, RELEASED SIHEK ON PALMYRA, AND OTHER SPECIES AT THE RELEASE SITE. THIRD, THEY WILL DEVELOPA BROAD ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS, WITH A FOCUS ON MEASURING AND MITIGATING THE PREDATION IMPACTSOF SIHEK ON THE RECIPIENT ECOSYSTEM, IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERS.OUR AIM IS TO INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESSFUL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PALMYRA SIHEK POPULATION ANDMINIMIZE THE RISK TO THE RECIPIENT ECOSYSTEM FROM DOING SO. ASSISTED COLONIZATION IS INHERENTLY RISKY YET ITIS INCREASINGLY BEING CALLED UPON FOR SPECIES RECOVERY. OUR PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A BLUEPRINT THAT CAN BEAPPLIED TO OTHER ASSISTED COLONIZATIONS IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND.