Island Conservation
Though they make up less than 5% of the world’s land mass, islands are home to 20% of bird, plant, and reptile species. The Seychelles Islands are among these major hotspots for biodiversity. Quarter-ton tortoises, minuscule frogs, charismatic birds and many other astonishing species have long lived together in the dazzling Seychelles landscape. However, hundreds of years of […]
Working with local people is key when it comes to protecting native wildlife. Conservationists from the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project and restoration specialists from Wildlife Management International jointed together with local volunteers to eradicate invasive rats that were killing seabirds. Manx Shearwater chick. Photo by Nick Tomalin Since the removal of the rat population, […]
When snowshoe hares were introduced by people to Hay Island, Maine, they reproduced rapidly and began to damage the natural habitat. The invasive hares made their way to Kent Island and began to take over there as well. Their presence reduced a dazzling diverse forest to just wood fern and raspberry. The loss of trees was met by […]
The LA Times recently covered a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that highlights the benefits of invasive species eradication. One of the authors of the paper and Island Conservation’s Director of Science Nick Holmes calls the paper a “story of hope.” The study examined the impacts of eradication projects on islands in New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Seychelles, […]
National Geographic recently covered a study on the impacts of invasive species eradication on biodiversity. The study, conducted by 30 scientists, one of them Island Conservation’s Director of Science Nick Holmes, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Global Ecology and Conservation. The study found 596 populations of 236 native species on 181 islands benefited from these eradications. […]
New global assessment finds major benefits to biodiversity when invasive mammals are removed from islands
The Green Sea Turtle is making a comeback! This endangered species had a successful year of breeding in 2015 at Florida’s Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Researchers found 14,152 nests at the end of the egg-laying season. Since green sea turtles lay around 75 to 200 eggs per nest, the season may have produced as […]
Giant insects-“Tree Lobsters”-of Lord Howe Island were once thought to be extinct. The island had been overrun with rats that disturbed the native species. But after two climbers identified evidence of the Tree Lobster on a volcanic feature near the island, scientists set to searching. And there, spread out on the bushy surface, were two […]
Say goodbye to what was once called “Rat Island.” Native birds are reclaiming Hawadax Island as their own, thanks to the removal of invasive species in 2008 by Island Conservation, USFWS Alaska, and The Nature Conservancy. Bird species that were absent prior to rat eradication but now found on Hawadax include tufted puffins, song sparrows […]
The East Coast winter began with unusually warm temperatures, and the sudden transition to colder weather has harsh consequences for migrating sea turtles. Over 800 turtles, crippled by the suddenly cold water, have been found off North Carolina beaches. Rescue and rehabilitation efforts already in place are helping to mitigate the damage to turtle populations, […]