A Swiss-based international foundation has pledged $10m to the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project — making it the largest contribution the project has received to date.
At risk to the onslaughts of the introduced mice: an adult Wandering Albatross and chick on Marion Island. Image credit: Stefan Schoombie
With this latest pledge — following $1m from South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth late last year and, more recently, R1m from the Lewis Foundation — the MFM Project has now secured approximately 60% of its overall funding target.
“Coming soon after the pledges of Mark Shuttleworth and the Lewis Foundation, the latest pledge from Switzerland is greatly welcomed," said John Cooper, MFM Project’s news correspondent, who has visited the Island 31 times since 1978.
"The project team will now be redoubling its efforts to raise the remaining 40% of the budget required to rid Marion of its albatross-killing mice - and 'rewild' the island I have grown to love."
This donation brings the project closer towards restoring Marion Island to its former ecological condition.
Symbolic
"Beyond its financial significance, the pledge carries considerable symbolic weight," said Tarryn Havemann, development officer at MFM Project.
"It signals clear recognition by a major philanthropic foundation that the MFM Project is robustly designed, responsibly led, well governed, and positioned to deliver meaningful and lasting conservation impacts.
"Such endorsement provides powerful validation of the years of careful planning, partnership-building and due diligence that underpin the initiative."
The MFM Project presents a rare conservation opportunity: the ability to address a severe biodiversity threat through a single, decisive, once-off intervention.
By eradicating invasive house mice from the island, the project aims to secure extraordinary and enduring conservation gains, restoring ecosystem functions and protecting internationally significant seabird colonies, preventing the local extinction of 19 of the 29 bird species breeding on the island.
"Few conservation initiatives offer the prospect of achieving outcomes that are both profound and permanent at this scale," says Havemann.
Pivotal moment
Renowned seabird author and illustrator and MFM Project patron, Peter Harrison MBE, welcomed the announcement, saying: “This is a huge step forward in what I have always considered the single most important conservation project in the world today.”
"This is a pivotal moment," adds Havemann.
"Leadership gifts of this scale create momentum, but it is the collective commitment of partners, donors, advocates and champions, both large and small, that will carry the project across the finish line.
"We invite individuals, foundations, companies and conservation leaders to join this effort.
"Contributions at all levels will help unlock the remaining funding required.
"Equally important are introductions to potential supporters, corporate partners and philanthropic networks who may be inspired to be part of this landmark conservation achievement.
"Together, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remove invasive House Mice from Marion Island and secure the future of its globally important seabirds, permanently."
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean.
BirdLife South Africa and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment initiated the project.
Upon completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate.
For more information or to support the project, please visit mousefreemarion.org.
