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L¥F%7YS AVY 7 r As the Nation's principal conservetion egency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility fer most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the enviarnd coultunral mvaluees onf ourt nataionell pa rks and historical places, and provfoir thde einjonymegnt of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy end mineral resources and works to essure thet their development is in the best interests of ell our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities end for people who live in island Territories under U.S. edministration. a RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE MICRONESIAN MEGAPODE (Megapodius laperouse laperouse) Publishebdy Region| U.S. Fish and WildliSefrveic e DISCLAIMER PAGE Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions which are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. Plans are publibsy hthee Ud.S . Fish and Wildlife Service, sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contrStaate cagetncioes, ransd o,the rs. Objewicll bte aittavinede ansd a ny necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Costs indicated for task implementation and/or time for achievement of recovery are only estimates and subject to change. Recploans vdo enot rneceyssar ily represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They represent the official position of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only after they have been signed by the Regional Director or Director as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery tasks. Literature Citation: U.S. Fish and WildlSiefrveic e. 1998. RecovPlaen rfory t he Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius laperouse laperouse). U.S. Fish and WilSedrvilce, iPorftlaned, OR. 65 + pp. Addicopites miay boe pnurchaasedl fr om: Fish and Wildlife RefereSnecrveic e 5430 GrosvLanee, nSuoiter 1 10 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 301/492-3421 or 1-800-582-3421 The fee for the Pian varies depending on the number of pages of the Plan. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Parts | and II of the initial draft of the Recovery Plan for the Micronesian megapode were prepared by Derek W. Stinson, formerly a biclogist with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), Saipan. The manuscript was improved with suggestions by G_J. Wiles, C.G. Rice, R.W.R.J. Dekker, J.D. Reichel, P.O. Glass, and A.P. Marshall. A.P. Marshall kindly provided materials from CNMI-DFW files. Updatteo sth e final plan were done by John Schmerfeld. Modifihacvea beteni maoden bys t he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Ecoregion, Honolulu, Hawaii. Cover artwork of the megapode, done by H. Douglas Pratt, was originally published in a poster courtesy of Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Res(oGDAuWR)r ancd CeNMIs-DF W. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Species Status: The Micronesian megapode, a pigeon-sized bird, is fedelistred aas lendlangyere d. Small remnant populations are known to exist on the southern Mariana Islands of Aguiguan, Tinian, Saipan, and Farallon de Medinilla while larger populations persist on the northern uninhabited Mariana Islands of Anatahan, Guguan, Sarigan, Alamagan, Pagan, Ascuncion, Maug, and possibly Agrihan. The total number of individuals throughout the Marianas archipelago is estimated to be 1,440 to 1,975 birds. Habitat Requiraned Lmimietinng tFacstor s: Micronesian megapodes are generally dependent on native limestone forest, but may occasionally use nazive and non-native secondary forest adjacent to limestone forest. Megapodes primarily select nest sites in sun-warmed cinder fields or areas warmed by geothermal heat, but secondarily will nest in the roots of rotting trees, logs, and in patches of rotting sword grass. Histmoegarpodeis cand athelir elggsy ma,y ha ve been over exploited by native human populations, but this activity has not been documented recently. Current threats to megapodes include habitat degradation introduced galliformes, and predation by introduced monitor lizards, cats, rats, pigansd ,dog s. Megapode populations may also be threatened by stochastic natural phenomenon such as vvicanism, drought, and typhoons. The greatest potential threat to megapode populations is the establishment of brown tree snakes on the islands north of Guam. Rc “ery Objectives: The ultimate objective of this plan is to delist the Recovery Criteria: The following steps must be accomplished for downlisting: (1) there must be a brown tree snake interdiction and control plan in place, and implementation in effect, for all of the Mariana Islands; (2) current threats toa ll extant megapode populations must be assessed and controlled; and (3) the comparatively large populations on Anatahen, Sarigan, Guguan, Pagan, and Maug must remain at their current population levels or be increesing for a period of 5 consecutive years. For delisting, the total number of megapodes in the Marianas should be at least 2,650 birds distributed over 10 islands, including at least 2 populations of 600 birds or greater, 3 populations of 300 or greater, 2 populations of 200 or greater, and 3 populations of 50 or greater. All populatimousnt sb e stable or increasing for 5 consecutive years after achieving these levels. Actions Needed: 1. Survey for, protect, and manage existing populations. 2. Conduct essential research on the ecology and biology of Micronesian megapodes. 3. Promote expansion of megapodes into suitable habitat. 4. Monitor megapode populations. 5. Establish a brown tree snake interdication and control plan. Total Estimated Cost of Recovery ($1,000's); some costs yet to be determined: Year Need] Neced2 Need} Neei4 Total 1998 192 19 1 14 236 1999 264 19 1 2 86322 2000 232 19 24 0 275 2001 227 19 40 10 296 2002 227 19 40 18 304 2003 198 0 30 100-238 2004 198 0 30 0 228 2005 198 0 30 28 80-286 2006 198 0 30 0 228 2007 198 0 30 10 «= -238 2008 163 0 45 18 226 2009 163 0 35 10 = 208 2010 163 0 35 0 198 2011 163 0 35 28-226 2012 163 0 35 0 8 Total 2947 9 461 174 3677 Daoft Receover y: Downlisting to threatened should be initiated in 2007 if the downlisting criteria have been met, and delisting should occur in 2012 if all Table 1. Associated rare species within current and historic ranges of the Micromesian megapode. ..... 6. ceeee e en ee 13 Table 2. Current status of Micronesian megapode populations. ....... 19 LIOFS FITGUR ES Figure| . Historic range of the Micronesian megapode in the Marianas: Records inchude all islands .. . . . . . . cnc nnee 2 1989 and Augus1t99 3 00cece ceeuceuues 20 SRG EID cccccccccccccccccccccccccccecccceceess 22 contain megapodes im 1993... occcnn enue 23 IED 00. cc cdniccocdinnanesnaneaanan 25 Figure7 .A pprextoent oxff oirestm habiatatst onS eerig an. .............. 26 Figure8 . Approximate area of megapode nesting ground on Guguan SEE dccacaddadhneotecesbebétccodiebcesncscqnsess 28