Invasive Species

Tag: Invasive Species

Recovery: The Miracle on Palmyra

Unlike dead organisms, dead ecosystems can be brought back to life. That has happened at Palmyra. In 2011, Island Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy partnered together to remove invasive rats from Palmyra. The island's native populations were struggling until invasive rats were completely eradicated. Since then, the island continues to show signs [...]

Written by on February 20, 2016

Birds are Returning to Hawadax, Previously “Rat” Island

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 […]

Written by on February 20, 2016

Meet the Juan Fernández Songbird, the Tit-tyrant

Meet the Juan Fernández Tit-tyrant (Anairetes fernandezianus), a small songbird endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile. Faced with the threats of habitat loss and predation by invasive animals (rats and feral cats), this species has been classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. This bird can be found in the few remaining patches of native […]

Written by on February 20, 2016

What’s so Special about Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile?

Located in the Pacific Ocean between the Andes and Oceania, the island of Robinson Crusoe, Chile has a unique flora which draws from these two distinct ecozones. The island was once dotted with endemic palm, sandalwood trees, colorful nectar-bearing plants, and edible “cabbage palms” (a type of overgrown daisy). Several unique plants have been lost […]

Written by on February 20, 2016