New Paper Shows Invasive Species Removal is a Nature-Based Solution for Climate Resilience
Island Conservation and partners have published a new paper quantifying ecosystem resilience on restored islands!
Restoring islands for nature and people worldwide.
Published on
June 24, 2020
Written by
Island Conservation
Photo credit
Island Conservation
Island Conservation staffer Mele Khalsa has been visiting Lehua Island, off the coast of Kauai, for years, but a recent night-time monitoring trip was something special. Mele reported:
I got to experience the island like never before with nocturnal seabirds abounding and making loud mating calls all through the night.”
Mele and her teammates used night-vision goggles and mounds of fresh coconut as bait but to their great relief, no rats were spotted on this trip. Following an eradication attempt in 2017, rats have been spotted sporadically, but with 18 months since the last confirmed sighting, we are hopeful that Lehua can soon be declared rat-free.
In the coming months and years, Island Conservation and our partners will help accelerate the natural restoration of Lehua by using decoys and recorded birds calls to attract seabirds, and planting native Hawaiian vegetation. We may even see new seabird species such as the Sooty Tern and Blue Noddy breeding on the island. Lehua could allow for the study of Endangered Band-Rumped Storm Petrels by building artificial burrows to attract this enigmatic species.
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