Translocation as a Conservation Tool for Restoring Insular Avifauna
Abstract
Faced with climate change, species invasions and habitat alterations, conservationists are using triage approaches for biodiversity preservation on the islands of Pacific Oceania. Some islands are expected to disappear beneath rising seas and we may never restore the ecological integrity of other islands. For example, all but three of the seventy-nine islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia will likely be inundated with sea level changes in coming years. Fauna from the Tuamotu islands, and from islands like Guam that are heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities, present tremendous challenges to conservationists. The Tuamotu Kingfisher (Todiramphus gambieri) from the island of Niau in French Polynesia, and the captive population of Micronesian Kingfishers (T. cinnamoninus), which previously inhabited Guam, are among the world's most endangered birds. Both are endemic species from islands that are not likely to be restored within the foreseeable future. One approach to conservation includes establishing new communities of threatened species on islands where they did not previously exist. Some view conservation translocation as a necessary rescue tool in a crisis situation, and they advocate for guiding translocations with the theory of island biogeography and sophisticated methodological approaches. Others assert that "assisted colonization" only exacerbates the invasive species problem. The two Pacific kingfishers have been the focus of ongoing research aimed at determining how to establish rescue populations on islands that did not previously host similar species. Both programs incorporate ecological theory and structured approaches based on a series of field investigations, experiments, and synthetic population modeling. However, the programs have also faced substantial challenges and sometimes troubling ethical considerations associated with introducing species for the sake of conservation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA554434
Entities
People
- Dylan C. Kesler