January 15, 2025
We’re Joining the Global Rewilding Alliance!
We're joining the Global Rewilding Alliance, a network of environmental organizations around the world!
Our new online shop is live!
Published on
September 13, 2023
Written by
Island Conservation
Photo credit
Island Conservation
Island Conservation Vice President of Conservation Penny Becker, who joined Island Conservation in 2020, made an appearance today on conservationist Ben Goldsmith’s podcast Rewilding the World.
Interviewing leaders of some of the most exciting and dramatic rewilding projects across the globe, Goldsmith’s podcast shares stories of hope and success as we envision a planet rich with sustainable, biodiverse ecosystems.
The podcast, the first in Rewilding the World’s new season, gives Becker the opportunity to highlight a multitude of Island Conservation’s projects and ambitions. In particular, Becker describes research she published in 2022 with a cohort of international experts, building on recent studies and indigenous knowledge, finding that healthy terrestrial ecosystems have massive spillover effects for marine life. Native vegetation and birds create rich nutrient flows that make nearby corals grow four times faster and recover more fully and quickly from bleaching events.
Especially important are connector species, such as crabs, seals, and seabirds, which live at the interface of land and sea. Becker explains on the podcast, “The seabirds were the ones who were consuming the herbivorous seashore invertebrates, like snails, limpets, things like that. And these intertidal eaters were the ones that were keeping that in check.” Strong populations of connector species are essential to stopping harmful algae overgrowth and promoting healthy reefs.
Becker further emphasizes the role of indigenous knowledge and community partnership in successful conservation.
“We need to be listening more to what all the native peoples who are on these islands for generations have known,” she contends. “These things are interconnected and you shouldn’t be thinking of them as separate. Islands and oceans are one ecosystem.”
Among the successful Island Conservation projects Becker mentions on the podcast are the rehabilitation of the Pinzón Giant Tortoise’s habitat in the Galápagos, rewilding on Palmyra Atoll, and the return of Tufted Puffins to the renamed Hawadax Island. The podcast also includes an enthusiastic discussion of the recent use of drone technology to make island conservation more accessible and cost-effective.
Finally, Becker describes Island Conservation’s mission to unite many people and stakeholders to rewild the world’s many vulnerable islands. The Island-Ocean Connection Challenge, launched in 2022, aims to achieve the ambitious goal of restoring at least 40 globally-significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030.
“What we’re really trying to do … [with] the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge,” Becker explains, “is to get these governments and partners and organizations to be working together.” Collaboration is the key to a bright future for islands, oceans, and the world.
Listen to the exciting interview on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out other journal entries we think you might be interested in.
January 15, 2025
We're joining the Global Rewilding Alliance, a network of environmental organizations around the world!
January 6, 2025
Some truly good news to brighten your day. Enjoy these stories of people helping to heal the natural world--and succeeding!
December 17, 2024
Caren Loebel-Fried's new book tells the story of what it takes to save a species, introducing a new generation to the conservation ethic that can save our planet!
December 10, 2024
We're using a cutting-edge new tool to sense and detect animals in remote locations. Find out how!
December 4, 2024
Ann Singeo, founder of our partner organization the Ebiil Society, shares her vision for a thriving Palau and a flourishing world of indigenous science!
November 13, 2024
Read Coral Wolf's interview about the thrilling news of rare birds nesting on Kamaka
November 12, 2024
Endangered Polynesian storm-petrels returning to Kamaka Island, French Polynesia within one month of social attraction tools being deployed. Polynesian storm-petrels have not been recorded on Kamaka Island for over 100 years due to invasive rats. These seabirds are able…
October 31, 2024
Emily Raboteau‘s 2024 essay collection, Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against the Apocalypse, offers a unique view into our present moment. Confronting the perils of raising two Black sons in New York City, Raboteau situates contemporary life in the context of…
August 22, 2024
Island Conservation's new Vice President was interviewed on ABC. Listen now to hear about amazing recovery on islands around the world!
August 6, 2024
New research shows the vital link between island restoration, healthy seabird populations, and resilient, thriving coral reefs!