War in the Pacific
This infrastructure and data sharing, especially regarding the consequences of allowing invasive species to gain a foothold in the ecosystem, has led to more than 800 successful eradications of invasive mammals on 181 different islands since the year 2000.
The GBO estimates this has had positive benefits for an estimated 236 native terrestrial species.
200 of these eradications have occurred during the Aichi decade of 2010-2020, and have benefited more than 100 highly threatened species of birds, mammals, and reptiles, including the island fox and Seychelles magpie-robin.
“Recent analysis has also identified 107 priority islands where eradication of invasive mammals could feasibly start in the near future, improving the survival prospects for 80 highly-threatened vertebrates, thus making a significant contribution to the fight against global extinctions,” reads the GBO.
If this goal was obtained, then it along with these eradications alone would more than double the amount of species saved from extinction by traditional conservation means like government legislation, captive breeding and reintroduction programs, and habitat protection, which was recently calculated as about 48 by a team of scientists from Newcastle University and Birdlife International.
Stories from the trenches
Antigua and Barbuda
Goats and black rats were introduced to Redonda Island in the 1930s. These invasive species have had significant negative impacts on the ecosystem, and on several species of birds and reptiles which, as a result, are listed as Critically Endangered.
The Redonda Restoration Programme addressed the problem by removing the goats and rats from the island. As a result, trees and grasses have been able to grow, stabilizing the island’s soils and reducing runoff which was previously damaging surrounding coral ecosystems. The lizard population on Redonda has tripled following the eradication of goats and rats. Efforts are underway to have Redonda declared a protected area.
Republic of the Congo
Invasive aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth, water lettuce, and giant salvinia have a range of negative impacts on water systems by outcompeting or displacing endemic species for space, light, and nutrients.
In order to control these invasive aquatic plants, three species of weevils are being used as biocontrol agents. As a result of these efforts, some waterways in the Kouilou and Likouala regions have been restored.
Mexico
Once again, goats take center stage in a drama on Guadalupe Island, where between 2003 and 2006, the population of invasive goats clambering over the rugged and beautiful terrain of the island, gobbling up all the native plant species and out-competing local herbivores, was eradicated via helicopter.
Now thousands of endemic pine and sage seedlings can be found growing on the island again.
Pacific States
Many developing Pacific Island states are vulnerable to the impacts of alien invasions, and according to Battling Invasive Species in the Pacific, an executive summary by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, there are 2,200 single-country endemic species in Pacific ecosystems, 45% of which are at risk of extinction — particularly from invasive species.
The Secretariat thus prepared a uniform Pacific-wide strategy guide for best practices of managing invasive species and included 100 activities over 10 island states over 5 years.
There isn’t a lot to be cheerful about when reading the summary of the 5th Global Biodiversity Outlook, but islands across the world’s seas are doing very well, and if controlling the spread and moments of arrival of invasive species can be obtained, the legacy of Aichi may not be ‘the failure that was’ but rather ‘hope for the future’. WaL
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