Island Conservation
For better or worse, the modern world is driven by economics, and it is often the case that collective action can only be motivated by alarming financial realities. A new paper underscores the urgency with which we should protect and restore island-ocean ecosystems by highlighting the enormous cost that invasive species have – not just […]
Island Conservation’s David Will co-authored an important paper that shows the power of eradications. The Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications (DIISE) demonstrates that our targeted actions bring incredible returns on investment.
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 […]