Island Conservation’s Coral Wolf is joined by a few special guests to share how restoring islands can benefit marine ecosystems.

Did you see our first edition of the Island Journey series? If not, you can still check it out. You will meet Island Conservation’s Coral Wolf and David Will as they take guests on a world tour of the islands where they have worked, and give the inside scoop on island conservation. In the second week of our Island Journey, we take travelers to a few of the islands where we have worked and are working, which exemplify the terrestrial and marine ecosystem connection. Join us!

Coral Wolf is joined by Island Conservation board member, Lynne Hale, and partners from Tetiaroa Society and The Nature Conservancy to discuss the connection between healthy islands and surrounding marine ecosystems. This journey will take you from wherever you are in the world to Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia then to Palmyra Atoll in the U.S. Line Islands, and finally to Hawadax Island, Alaska to gain a deeper understanding of the emerging research that shows the connections between these ecosystems.

What is the vital connection between island ecosystems and coral reefs? The answer is guano or seabird poop. Seabirds roosting on oceanic islands travel out to sea to feed on fish, then return and poop on the islands, depositing nutrients into the soil for plants, some of which are washed into marine ecosystems. Island Conservation and our partners are now looking to expand on this research to identify how the restoration of island ecosystems by removing invasive species impacts the near-shore marine environment.

Want to learn more? Check out Island Journeys three where Karl Campbell and his team take guests on a trek across Floreana Island to meet community members and explore the technological advances necessary to take island restoration to the next level.

Featured photo: Red-footed Booby in a nest on Palmyra Atoll. Credit: Dena Spatz/Island Conservation