Island Conservation’s Late Island project is the feature of a new article in New Zealand Geographic.  

The article highlights the expertise of our many collaborators—especially the New Zealanders who first developed the techniques that make the removal of invasive species possible. Journalist Kate Evans describes the people, institutions, and know-how that come together to make large, complex conservation projects possible, painting a rich picture of how we are supporting island communities in their vision of a restored Late. 

Profiling Island Conservation staff Baudouin des Monstiers and Richard Griffiths, the article expounds the benefits of restoring and rewilding Late Island and sheds light on the complexities of island ecosystems. By making Late Island a safe place for seabirds to nest, local reefs will benefit from an increased nutrient flow, growing bigger and attracting more fish. Citing multiple studies, the article shows how past conservation efforts set a promising precedent for Late. Removing invasive species has the potential to boost fishers’ livelihoods and boost climate change resilience: healthy reefs protect islands from waves, storm damage, and sea level rise. 

Restoring Late Island, which is poised to be the largest invasive rat removal project ever undertaken in the Pacific, has been made possible thanks to our wonderful partners and supporters, including the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Kingdom of Tonga’s Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), and the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). 

Read the full article here as well as our recent press release about our work restoring Late.