Ecosystem

Tag: Ecosystem

Madagascar’s Biodiversity Threatened by Toxic Toad

An  invasive toxic toad has made its way onto Madagascar and has the potential to devastate local ecosystems and biodiversity. The Asian Common Toad has recently made its way to Madagascar. This breach jeopardizes the safety of all native island predators that will eat the invasive toad. When the toad feels threatened they secrete a […]

Written by on June 22, 2018

Biodiversity: What is it and Why Does it Matter?

Biodiversity has far-reaching impacts on the vitality of people and the planet but what is it and what impact does it have on islands? What is biological diversity? Biological diversity, or biodiversity, refers to the variety of life on earth–every individual organism, species, and kingdom, from the smallest spec of bacteria to the enormous whales in […]

Written by on May 17, 2018

Engineering Ascension Island

Further research on Ascension Island’s human-engineered ecosystem could generate insight into current environmental challenges. The challenge on Ascension Island is to maintain a balance of the new and the old. A novel ecosystem is an ecosystem engineered by humans. Over the last 150 years, non-native plant species were planted on the remote Island in the Atlantic […]

Written by on June 15, 2017

Meet Rochelle Newbold, Our New Bahamas Program Manager

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. […]

Written by on December 5, 2016

Hawai’i’s Deep Sea Might Help Explain Ecological Paradox

Researchers have returned from a deep-sea expedition hoping to explain why the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands are so biologically rich. There’s kind of this paradox: How can you have so much productivity around Hawai’i yet the surrounding ocean waters are literally a barren ocean landscape? -Jamison Gove, NOAA oceanographer A research team including scientist from the […]

Written by on October 3, 2016

New Zealand Wētā: Endemic, Diverse, Endangered

Wētā are giant insects that live in New Zealand and nowhere else in the world. There are many subspecies of Wētā; these can be found in trees, lowlands, caves, sand dunes, and soil. They look similar to grasshoppers, except for the obvious difference in size. New Zealand’s indigenous people, Maori, call Wētā “punga,” meaning the “spirit of […]

Written by on October 3, 2016

Snails: Charismatic? Not really. Important? Absolutely

Snails, though not exactly a widely celebrated species, have much to offer.  They may not be as popular or charming as the world’s widely-recognized endangered megafauna (tigers, elephants, rhinos, pandas, etc), but snails are important for ecosystems functioning around the world. Snails are decomposers–they break down natural material into smaller parts–and as such help to uphold nature’s cycle of life […]

Written by on August 29, 2016

Mapped: Potential Threats to Soil Diversity

Scientists have produced a first-of-its-kind global map of potential threats to soil diversity.  When we consider variety in nature, we tend to immediately think of animals and plants. However, diversity within the soil of a terrestrial ecosystem is also critically important. Soil is by far the most biologically diverse part of the earth and includes earthworms, spiders, ants, beetles, […]

Written by on July 27, 2016

Antipodes Island Operations Completed Ahead of Schedule! 

Campaign hits major milestone in effort to protect rare and threatened birds like the ground dwelling Antipodean Parakeet. We are pleased to announce that the Million Dollar Mouse Campaign has achieved the near-impossible. The operations to remove damaging invasive mice to protect native species on Antipodes Island has been successfully completed by an international partnership. […]

Written by on July 14, 2016

Protecting the Kiwi, Maori Culture, and New Zealand’s Ecosystem

Endangered Kiwi chick hatches at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia.  The Kiwi is an important native bird of New Zealand. The feathered yet flightless creature was named by the Maori–the first people to ever live in New Zealand. The Kiwi is integral to Maori culture and considered sacred. It traditionally served as an occasional food […]

Written by on July 1, 2016

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