Polynesian community members partnered with local and international nonprofits to protect the island ecosystem by removing invasive rats 

Persistence, courage and frequent improvisation lay at the heart of a pioneering island restoration project on Kamaka Island, French Polynesia. The operation used innovative drone technology as part of an ongoing initiative by global nonprofit Island Conservation and their partner Envico Technologies to refine and reduce the cost of conservation technology. The Ornithological Society of French Polynesia (known as Manu) and members of the local community facilitated the complex endeavor, overcoming formidable terrain, weather and sea conditions, and frequent logistical challenges. This project was co-funded by the European Commission through its BEST 2.0+ program. 

Kamaka is an island in the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia where seabirds – such as the Polynesian Storm Petrel, Tahiti Petrel and Murphy’s Petrel – once thrived. However, invasive rats devoured eggs and young and destroyed their natural habitat, severely reducing biodiversity and making the island hostile to endemic plant and animal life. A first attempt at rat eradication in 2015 revealed significant logistical challenges that highlighted a need for increased local community engagement, support and coordination. Years of planning synthesized lessons learned about challenging tropical conditions and how to facilitate increased drone capacity. 

The decisive factor in this second, successful operation was the involvement of the Mangareva community in the Gambier Archipelago, as well as implementation support from Manu, a group dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of French Polynesia.  

“We are committed to working with the island communities that provide in-depth knowledge of these environments. We simply could not have completed the Kamaka project without their time, skills, expertise and relentless energy,” says Richard Griffiths, Head of Operations for the South and West Pacific at Island Conservation. 

Each island has its own terrain and weather conditions to navigate, and this determines which drone is suitable for the distribution of conservation bait. Kamaka’s landscape required all supplies to be ferried up steep terrain and coastal cliffs by hand. The team completed up to 100 drone flights a day, several days in a row. In the end, they conducted over 600 flights to ensure adequate coverage. 

“The drone technology used has been developed over many years. These operations traditionally use helicopters, which are effective but are incredibly expensive and require far more time and resources. Instead, for Kamaka, we utilized the ENV 10, which is smaller than other drone models but could easily adapt to the frequent flights required,” says Cameron Baker, Managing Director of Envico Technologies. 

Island Conservation and Envico Technologies use field operations to refine drone technology for diverse conservation projects in adverse conditions around the world.  

“The use of drones on Kamaka was our most ambitious to date, demonstrating the potential for this technology to be a tractable and cost-effective solution for island restoration compared to conventional methods,” says David Will, Head of Innovation at Island Conservation. “We are working with Envico and island communities to advance this technology through real world experience so that it can be easily accessible. We want to democratize the use of drones so that healthy islands can be protected by the people who live there.”  

Once the island is free of predatory invasive rats, Island Conservation expects birds from the nearby source populations to repopulate the island, reestablishing Kamaka as the seabird-driven ecosystem it once was. Seabirds are critical connectors between land and sea, producing important nutrients that fertilize the surrounding marine life.  

“We also anticipate a host of critically endangered, endemic plants to recover on the island as the impacts of invasive rodents wane,” says Richard. “We will continue to visit Kamaka to monitor these changes and formulate a strategy to rewild the island as necessary.”  

Island Conservation and Envico Technologies will collaborate once again on Wallis and Futuna later this year, using data and technical information obtained from Kamaka to adapt to local conditions. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Island Conservation  
Sally Esposito 
Director of Communications  
Sally.esposito@islandconservation.org  
+1 706 969 2783    

Envico Technologies  
Cameron Baker  
Co-founder  
cameron.baker@ectech.co.nz  
+64 27-8000-369  

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Island Conservation  
Island Conservation is our world’s only international nonprofit conservation organization dedicated solely to preventing extinctions on islands. Our collaborations with local island communities aim to improve livelihoods, manage invasive species, and reintroduce native animals and plant life. Island Conservation is a United States-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization working through diverse local and international partnerships to foster sustainable development, climate resilience, and healthy island-marine ecosystems across the globe. Visit us at www.islandconservation.org.   

Envico Technologies|
Founded in 2018, Envico has already garnished significant interest around the world for its leading drone technology and automated ground devices for invasive vertebrate management. With head office in Tauranga, New Zealand, and Australian office in Melbourne, Envico conducts R&D on a number of technology projects as well as provides services using proprietary drone technology in New Zealand, Australia and throughout the Pacific.