Hank Bower said the event is largely thanks to the success of the rodent eradication program which was implemented in 2019.

Lord Howe Island is home to threatened species found nowhere else on earth. Before the program began, there were thousands of rodents on the island, which were detrimental to the survival of native plants and animals.

The population of Woodhens, a critically endangered species, has quadrupled since 2019, due to increased availability of food and the removal of rodenticide poisons from the island.

In March the Lord Howe Island Board carried out a survey of the birds, which found 778 Woodhens over a two week period.

However, Mr Bower estimates the actual population figure to be around 800, given some birds weren't counted as they reside on cliff tops and mountains.

Prior to the eradication program, Woodhen numbers varied between 140 and 250, but averaged at 200.

"This population increase represents a very significant conservation gain for a critically endangered species that in the 1980s was reduced to less than 30 birds," Mr Bower said.

"It validates the conservation gains that have resulted from the rodent eradication program, which has also seen significant recovery of the island flora and fauna in general."

Systematic surveys of the Woodhen have been conducted since 1985. It's one of Australia's longest ongoing bird population monitoring projects.

And the Woodhen isn't the only species to benefit from the rodent eradication program.

Mr Bower said they've witnessed the Black-winged Petrel's breeding success increase exponentially.

"It's had an amazing rebound," he said.

"Their breeding success used to around two per cent but now it's jumped to 60 per cent."

Islanders have also witnessed plants, such as the Pigface bear fruit for the first time.

"Prior to the rodent eradication program, we'd never seen that," Mr Bower said.

Minister for Environment James Griffin said for the first time, live specimens of four different critically endangered land snail species were recorded in a single survey.

The team from the NSW Government's Saving Our Species program and the Australian Museum spent more than 400 painstaking hours looking for the tiny snails at 200 survey sites on the remote island.

"They were previously thought to be extinct, with only shells of the snails having been found," Minister Griffin said.

"This is an incredibly optimistic sign for the future of conservation."

Jack Shick is a fifth generation islander and is a guide for walking tours up the island's highest peak - Mount Gower.

Mr Shick still looks for rats when he climbs the mountain, because prior to the eradication program he saw them on a daily basis.

"I still pinch myself in disbelief that it's true," he said.

Majority of Islanders are still getting used to life without the rats.

"There's nobody on Lord Howe Island who knows what life is like without rats," Mr Shick said.

Mr Shick first climbed Mount Gower when he was eight-years-old and he's been a guide for 30 years.

"I just can't believe the amount of seeds and berries on the plants that are actually ripening to their full potential," he said.

"We're also seeing many seedlings come up."

Mr Shick enjoys gardening and said he can now grow corn without worrying it will be eaten by rats before he has a chance to harvest it.

However, the Lord Howe Island Board's job isn't over yet.

Mr Bower said it's important to ensure biosecurity measures are ramped up and weed eradication is carried out, to ensure the island can continue to reap the benefits.

"While the native plants are rebounding, the weeds are rebounding as well," he said.

"We're seeing the weed ecology change in a way that we've never seen before."

The Lord Howe Island Weed Management Strategy 2016 to 2025 aims to reduce threats posed by invasive weeds to the island's natural environment, to human health and agricultural capacity.

Ten years ago the Board implemented a to eradicate at least 25 priority invasive weeds, and six have been eradicated.

The Board is also ramping up its biosecurity measures, to ensure no invasive species from the mainland make it to the island.

Detection dogs are used to carry out thorough checks of supplies prior to them being shipped or flown to the island.

Cameras and audio devices are also used on the island, to monitor visual activity and audio of species, in order to detect any potential threats.

Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams said community support for the rodent control program has played a central role in its success.

"Community engagement is a critical element, and I thank the Board and Lord Howe Island community for working tirelessly to help protect their magnificent island."

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