Island restoration

Island restoration repairs ecological communities and processes on islands, often by eradicating invasive species and helping native species recover.

Invasive species eradication: The complete removal of an introduced species from a defined area. Removing invasive mammals often releases island plants, seabirds, and other native species from predation or competition.
Henderson Island rat eradication: A 2011 effort to eradicate invasive Pacific rats from Henderson Island in the South Pacific. This project illustrates the difficulty of removing invasive rats from a remote island with globally important seabirds.
Seabird restoration: Conservation actions that rebuild seabird populations and their breeding habitats. Seabirds often recover after predators are removed, bringing nutrients back to island ecosystems.
Extinction debt: The future loss of species caused by past habitat change or other environmental pressures. Restoration can reduce future losses when island populations remain vulnerable after their habitat has been altered.
Island biogeography: The study of how island area, isolation, and habitat shape species richness and colonization. Isolation and limited area affect which species can recolonize after damaging pressures are removed.
South Georgia rat eradication: A multiyear program that removed invasive rats from South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. The project enabled native birds to return to areas where introduced rats had suppressed them.
Island plant restoration: The recovery of native island plant communities through protection, planting, or control of damaging species. Removing invasive herbivores can allow native vegetation to regenerate, sometimes requiring additional planting.
Eradication ethics: The ethical evaluation of deliberately killing organisms to protect ecosystems or human interests. Island projects must weigh ecosystem benefits against the harms and welfare costs of lethal control.
Rewilding: Ecological restoration that promotes self-sustaining ecosystems and natural processes, sometimes by reintroducing species. Some island projects rebuild ecological processes by restoring lost native species as well as removing invaders.
Macquarie Island rabbit eradication: A program that eradicated rabbits and other introduced mammals from Australia's subantarctic Macquarie Island. Its recovery demonstrates how removing herbivores can restore vegetation and seabird habitat.

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