Island Conservation
Restoration projects aid recovery of island-endemic birds. Birds that are only found on islands are particularly vulnerable to threats posed by invasive species–they cannot simply migrate to a new home, as they are specifically adapted to their insular environment. Birds confined to just a single island or archipelago are some of the most at-risk species in […]
Scientists suspect ocean warming explains the hundreds of dead, starved Tufted Puffins that are washing up on the shores of the Pribilof Islands off the coast of Alaska. Imagine a shoreline littered with the starved bodies of Tufted Puffins. The eerie scene is unlike anything seen before in the Pribilof Islands. University of Washington professor Julia Parrish noted: In […]
Island Conservation deepens our commitment to on-island, in-country community-based conservation. Rochelle Newbold is joining Island Conservation to head up our new Bahamas Island Conservation Office as the Bahamas Program Manager. Rochelle holds a master’s degree from Duke University in environmental management and has more than 16 years of experience in the field of conservation in the Bahamas. […]
A new study calls for improvements in the way scientists predict the impact of climate change on plants and wildlife. A study recently published in the journal Science assessed the current methods for predicting the impacts of climate change on wildlife and plants. The researchers found that current projections are based on broad statistical correlations […]
Hawai’i’s iconic Honeycreepers face a number of threats. To avoid extinction, these beautiful native birds are in need of immediate conservation intervention. Bright red wings streak across a grey sky. Yellow feathers flash amid quivering green leaves. Soft songs punctuated by raspy cheeps rise up from trees swathed in the dawn’s faint light. Long, narrow bills plunge […]
New research provides the first global, spatial forecast of emerging invasions. It examines current shortcomings, challenges and opportunities in mitigating and preventing damage caused by invasive alien species. Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten biodiversity, human livelihood, and human health around the world. A new study published in Nature Communications led by conservation biologist Regan Early maps the predicted […]
A new study identifies the primary threats to wildlife. A study published in the journal Nature examined the top threats to wildlife worldwide. The researchers found that overexploitation (logging, hunting, fishing, and gathering) and agriculture constitute the biggest threats to wildlife. Urban development and invasion & disease are the next biggest concerns, followed by pollution, system […]
I began working on invasive species issues on islands almost 25 years ago, helping to protect native birds by trapping and removing mongooses and other predators from the cloud forests in Hawai’i. At that time, climate change was a topic in the classroom and between scientists but not the headline news it is today. Little […]