A Bat’s End: The Christmas Island Pipistrelle and Extinction in Australia

Cover......Page 1
Title page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Foreword......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
The end......Page 10
1 Introduction......Page 12
Some stylistic conventions......Page 15
Disclaimer......Page 16
2 The conservation value and challenge of islands......Page 18
Setting......Page 24
Human history and governance......Page 25
Christmas Island – biodiversity and ecology......Page 50
Early changes......Page 62
Conflict – mining and conservation response......Page 69
Invasive species, and their management......Page 77
Hunting......Page 93
National Park and conservation responses......Page 95
Island life and ecological sustainability......Page 97
The fate of Christmas Island nature......Page 98
Historical record......Page 104
Description and ecology......Page 106
Scientific record......Page 109
Taxonomic position......Page 111
The pattern of decline......Page 113
Lazarus?......Page 127
The characteristics of extinctions......Page 128
Parallels – similar stories......Page 129
The search for cause of the pipistrelle’s decline......Page 132
Denouement......Page 150
Moral and ethical framework......Page 154
Policy and legislation......Page 156
What was done – threatened species listing......Page 158
What was done – the recovery plan......Page 159
The expendability of species – triage and landscape-scale conservation......Page 161
The management response – the environment department (and its parks service component)......Page 169
What was done – the research......Page 172
Captive breeding – emergency response......Page 176
Foundation (external) drivers – the momentum of history and use of the island......Page 180
The logistical impediment......Page 184
What was done – community support and lobbying......Page 185
Cry wolf ! – they don’t really go extinct do they?......Page 187
A summary of the failings......Page 188
Culpability......Page 189
8 Personal perspectives, responses and responsibilities......Page 192
David James......Page 193
Bob Debus......Page 198
Lindy Lumsden......Page 199
Peter Garrett......Page 207
Greg Richards......Page 209
Barry Traill......Page 213
Brian Lacy......Page 215
Chris Tidemann......Page 216
Peter Cochrane......Page 219
Alistair Graham......Page 221
Island future......Page 230
Progressing the pipistrelle’s legacy......Page 232
Lessons for the conservation of biodiversity elsewhere......Page 233
Meditation......Page 237
Acknowledgements......Page 240
Endnotes......Page 242
References......Page 246
Index......Page 270