Desecheo Island supports important populations of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, such as the Desecheo Anole, Desecheo Ameiva, and Desecheo Dwarf Gecko. Before the introduction of invasive rats, the island hosted large colonies of breeding seabirds, including the largest Brown Booby colony in the Caribbean region and an important Red-footed Booby colony. But, due to the destruction of native vegetation and predation on eggs and chicks by these invasive rats, seabirds nesting was reduced significantly on Desecheo and many plants and animals are threatened.
In response to this threat, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Island Conservation, and other key partners, including the US Department of Agriculture, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR-DNER), Bell Laboratories, and Tomcat, made the island safe once again for seabirds, the island’s endemic lizards, three endemic arachnids, the federally Threatened Higo Chumbo cactus and native plants by removing invasive rats.
In July 2017, one year after the final phase of this ambitious operation, conservation biologists confirmed that these predators are absent from the island, and the operation was declared a success. This project, the largest conservation operation of its kind to date in the region, enables the island at some time to return to its former and rightful status: the most important seabird colony in the region. The wildlife refuge lost this status due to the presence of invasive mammals for almost a century.
With the island free of invasive species, native plants and animals will once again be able to thrive in their natural habitat. Coral reefs in the Marine Reserve surrounding Desecheo (managed by the PR-DNER) are also expected to benefit from the island’s restoration; increased vegetation will reduce soil erosion into the sea, and the seabirds will provide valuable nutrients to the adjacent marine ecosystems.
Social Attraction
In February 2018, USFWS, Island Conservation and Effective Environmental Restoration Inc (EER) with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and National Geographic initiated a seabird social attraction project to encourage Bridled Terns, Brown Noddies, and Audubon’s Shearwaters to nest on the island. The teams established seabird colonies using decoy, mirrors, and sound systems playing recorded bird calls to made it appear as if the birds we already on the island to attract birds and hopefully revive the once-thriving seabird colony.
With the habitat and seabird restoration efforts, the team has documented Brown Noddies, American Oystercatchers, Frigatebirds, and Brown Boobies thriving on the island as well as several Bridled Tern eggs in areas where nesting activity was not common in the past. An Audubon’s Shearwater has been seen visiting the island on a nightly basis which marks the first time the species has been documented roosting on island. As Desecheo continues to recover, more species are expected to return and thrive.
To restore Desecheo Island’s dry-forest ecosystem, protect species found nowhere else in the world (endemic), and recover seabird populations.
Desecheo Island is inhabited by thousands of nesting seabirds and its native plants and unique reptiles are thriving.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Island Conservation, with cooperation of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, removed invasive rats that endangered the long-term survival of the native and endemic species on Desecheo Island.
We have been monitoring the Federally Threatened Higo Chumbo cactus recovery, and the anticipated return of at least six nesting seabirds species to the island.
Invasive mammals severely degraded Desecheo Island’s dry-forest ecosystem and eliminated nesting potential for five of the twelve seabird species that were historically documented on the island.
SAVING EXTRAORDINARY SPECIES
RARE WILDLIFE For its tiny size, Desecheo Island has a significant number of endemic species found nowhere else in the world. It is home to the native, threatened Higo Chumbo cactus, three endemic lizards, two endemic spiders, and an endemic whip scorpion.
PROJECT GOALS This project intends to re-establish the island as a globally important seabird reserve, safeguard the future of the native and endemic reptiles, plants, and invertebrates, and restore the dryforest plant communities and ecosystem functioning. A dramatic return of seabirds and land birds is expected in the absence of invasive rats. This project also offers a rare opportunity to inform restoration efforts on other islands in the Caribbean.
SUCCESS WORLDWIDE Conservationists have protected thousands of island-dependent species worldwide by removing more than 1,100 populations of invasive species from more than 700 islands. Rats and other rodents have been successfully removed from more than 300 islands worldwide, frequently resulting in rapid recovery of the native bird and reptile populations.
HIGO CHUMBO CACTUS During surveys in 2010 and 2013, the number of individual threatened Higo Chumbo cactus’ on Desecheo increased, due to decreased numbers of invasive browsing animals. Today, the cactus is flourishing. Wild populations of the cactus only exist naturally on two other offshore islands; Mona and Monito.
RESTORING SEABIRD COLONIES Prior to invasive species, Desecheo was a major nesting ground for thousands of seabirds. Approximately 15,000 Brown Boobies, 2,000 Red-footed Boobies, 2,000 Brown Noddies, 1,500 Bridled Terns and hundreds of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Laughing Gulls, and Sooty Terns nested here.
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Jose Luis Herrera-GiraldoProject Manager
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