Island Conservation
Freelance writer Sara Kaiser engages philosopher Nickolas Knightly in a conversation about the role of wisdom in conservation. Does philosophy have a place in conservation? Philosophical inquiry can provide pathways to broader and clearer understandings of the daily efforts and deeper purposes of any pursuit, including conservation. The process of asking questions often gives rise […]
Research highlights the importance of a holistic approach to invasive species conservation projects. After invasive species have been removed from an ecosystem, how do you measure recovery, and what can we learn from past efforts? A new study in the scientific journal Biological Invasions titled “When does invasive species removal lead to ecological recovery? Implications […]
Hybridization between invasive Green Iguanas and native Little Cayman Island rock iguana takes scientists by surprise and indicates a heightened risk for rare island iguanas. By: Sara Kaiser What happens when a native iguana and an invasive iguana meet, and kind of like each other? According to new research published in the scientific journal Biological […]
Research highlights the value of island restoration and the importance of long-term monitoring for the prevention of seabird extinctions. Though seabirds are named and well-known for the ample time they spend in and above the ocean, they also depend on the land, with islands being especially significant. Through migration, foraging, and nesting, seabirds bring sky, […]
An outbreak of the Dingy Purplewing Butterfly was recorded on Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico following the completion of a restoration project. Just this week the announcement came out about the successful removal of invasive rats from Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Puerto Rico. Removal of invasive species from islands presents an incredible opportunity for native ecosystem […]
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 […]
Drones enlisted to monitor global climate change and support conservation efforts. As global temperatures continue to rise, the consequences of climate change are becoming more apparent. Scientists can collect data on the rates at which ecosystems are changing to gain insight into the effects of climate change, and then apply their findings to infer what ecosystems […]
A new scientific study reports that the spread of invasive species around the globe has increased in the past 200 years, indicating a need for enhanced biosecurity. Which came first: the transportation of species around the globe or regulations on transportation of species around the globe? You guessed it–the former. Humans have been traveling with animal […]
Sequencing the genome of the Endangered Pink Pigeon may help protect the rare bird from a human introduced pathogen. The Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an Endangered species on the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The existence of the species is somewhat of a miracle considering that in the 1990’s its population fell to an alarming 10 […]
Mice as Conservationists? Scientific American features research that could change the way conservationists prevent extinctions of island species. By: Heath Packard What if releasing mice on an island could result in the safe, humane, and efficient removal of damaging invasive rodents introduced to that island 100’s of years ago? “Mice as Conservationists” is not a […]