Eighty per cent of Earths islands are infested with rats, a legacy of global trade. The Caribbean nation of Antiqua and Barbuda began eradicating rats and goats on the small island of Redonda, then a dusty, debris strewn volcanic landscape, in 2016. The invasive species were left behind by guano miners who stopped mining before WWI. Over the decades the island was denuded. Rocks and soil slid into the ocean damaging sea grass and corals. Redonda was a not a nice place to visit, in fact it was dangerous. Even the hardy goats were slowly starving to death due to the lack of vegetation.
After removing the invasive animals, plants sprung back to life enticing seabirds and other wildlife to re-colonize the island. Biologists working to restore Redonda were surprised by how quickly life reestablished itself once the rodents were exterminated. Brown boobies (
Sula leucogaster) and red billed tropic birds (
Phaethon aethereus) were able to raise their young again once the egg-eaters were gone. Redonda ground dragon, a critically endangered and endemic lizard also returned; it's population has tripled since 2017.
Once the island was restored to a healthier condition in a relatively short period of time, the government declared Redondo a 74,000 acre nature reserve in 2023 that includes the sea grass meadows and coral reefs surrounding the island. This restoration is a good example for other Caribbean nations whose small, uninhabited islands are also overrun by invasive species. A 2022 study found that removing invasive species such as cats, rabbits, pigs and rats is 88% effective in restoring biodiversity on affected islands. Restorations have taken place in
French Polynesia, Tonga, and
South Africa. One small island at a time to heal our battered Earth.
[photo credits: E. Marshall]. Green Kudos! to Antiqua and Barbudo.
