Rat Eradication from Mediterranean Islands Using Brodifacoum: A Critical Assessment of Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Impacts

The Island of Montecristo, part of the Tuscan Archipelago, was subjected to an “invasive species” eradication effort co-financed by the European Union under the Life+ “Montecristo 2010” project in 2012. Biocidal agents were utilized in abundance, with the objective of targeting select species of flora and fauna. This included the aerial broadcast of pellets containing brodifacoum to attempt to eradicate the rat population. Brodifacoum’s environmental persistence has led to concerns regarding its potential for secondary, tertiary, and subsequent poisoning of numerous species. This article presents an analysis of probabilistic body mechanics simulations indicating that 4.12 tons of pellets containing brodifacoum would have likely reached the sea following the aerial distribution on Montecristo; a comprehensive literature review of the adverse effects and environmental persistence of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARS); as well as a theoretical application of the European Industrial Accident Scale (EIAS) to assess environmental contamination. The question of whether the practice of distributing substantial amounts of pesticides to eradicate a selected species constitutes a conservation initiative or could lead to environmental damage is a salient one, and this article aims to provide a multidisciplinary approach to address this question.