Gerard ROCAMORA
Biodiversity & Conservation (IBC) centre, University of Seychelles
Gerard.Rocamora@unisey.ac.sc
Abstract
Islands represent only 5% of the global land area but concentrate about 20% of global biodiversity, and over 85% of documented vertebrate extinctions have occurred on islands. Human colonisation has been responsible for the introduction of invasive species such as rats and cats, which have exterminated endemic species, and for habitat destruction, these being the two main threats to biodiversity globally. To save species threatened with extinction, many small islands of Seychelles have benefited from restoration projects to eradicate or control introduced predators and competitors, eliminate invasive vegetation, multiply native trees and (re)introduce animal species that will speed up ecosystem recovery. In Seychelles, more than 25 islands have benefited from such restoration activities, resulting in the eradication of about 50 invasive vertebrate populations from islands, and the translocation of more than 40 populations of native animals, of which several have been rescued from near-extinction and are no longer considered globally threatened. In these islands, many species of plants and animals have benefited from these restoration activities, increasing significantly in numbers and range already after some years, or having spontaneously recolonised the islands in the case of certain seabirds. The return of seabirds to these islands also benefits to surrounding coral reefs and marine life.
Presentation
