 Of greatest concern is the noxious weed "Lycium ferocissimum" (African boxthorn), which has long spines that can trap birds.This weed was recorded on the islands as early as 1970.Efforts to eradicate it began in 1990; there was a lull in eradication in the late 1990s, but the program was later reinstated, and in July 2007, the Department of Environment and Conservation reported that the species had been eradicated from 14 of the 18 islands on which it had been recorded.