Island Conservation
Jan TenBruggencate explains why the benefits of conservation action outweigh the potential risks on Lehua Island. By: Jan TenBruggencate The removal of rats from Lehua Island should proceed, in my view. The likely benefits are huge, and the theoretical risk is small. Invasive rats on Lehua are killing live seabird chicks, eggs and adults, eating […]
Restoration of Lehua Island could result in alternative habitat for seabirds whose nesting sites are threatened by sea level rise. Islands are sentinels for sea level change. Because of their small size and often remote locations, the consequences of sea level rise manifest quickly on islands. Because the stakes are so high and the consequences of sea […]
Island Conservation Restoration Specialist Mele Khalsa shares her perspective on the opportunities for restoration on Lehua Island, Hawai’i. By: Mele Khalsa Without question, the Hawaiian Islands are stunningly beautiful. The region is unique, supporting a great diversity of species found nowhere else on Earth. Yet, Hawai‘i is struggling with significant environmental issues, and is today […]
Invasive predators have contributed to hundreds of extinctions. Island species are some of the most vulnerable to impacts from invasives. A report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, edited by Island Conservation Board Member Daniel Simberloff, sheds light on native wildlife deaths amassed by invasive predators. The New Zealand native Stephens Island Wren is […]
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that invasive predators have contributed to close to 60% of extinctions of birds, mammals, and reptiles. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classified 596 species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered due to invasive species. The actual number is believed to be higher […]