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Showing 9 of 235 news items in Ocean & Biodiversity

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 26, 2025

Restoring Nu‘utele Island, Samoa: Building Climate Resilience and Reviving Biodiversity

Excerpt from islandconservation.org In the heart of Samoa, a powerful story of collaboration is unfolding, bringing together communities, governments, and conservation experts to protect one of the Pacific’s ecological treasures: Nu‘utele Island. Island Conservation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), BirdLife International, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), under the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS), has launched a bold restoration initiative to rebuild the natural systems that sustain life on and around the island. Harmful, destructive feral pigs and invasive rats pose a serious threat to native wildlife—especially seabirds, whose nesting grounds have been disrupted for decades. By removing these invasive species, the project aims to restore and protect native seabirds, the island’s near-pristine forest, and surrounding coral reef ecosystems, creating a ripple effect of ecological recovery. Healthy seabird populations play a vital role in nutrient cycling, enriching the soil and feeding nearby reefs. With invasive species gone, native plants and animals can return, seabirds can safely nest again, and the flow of nutrients from ocean to land can resume—boosting fish populations and coral resilience.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 25, 2025

Building Resilient Blue Communities Through Social Enterprise

Photo credit: Getty Images via ORFonline.org Excerpt from orfonline.org Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a unique bond with their ocean territory through their economy, community, and environment. With over 40 percent of the world’s population living within 100 kilometres of the coast, coastal communities are vital hubs for trade and livelihood generation, but often face the brunt of climate change. As many island nations turn towards the Blue Economy (BE) framework to accelerate their national development sustainably, SIDS must ensure their coastal communities are actively and meaningfully involved in decision-making, policy, and stewardship of the very marine resources they depend on. Community-led conservation efforts can be powerful drivers of both environmental stewardship and socio-economic benefits in SIDS. Local fishers in Barbados contributed to the design of a Maritime Management Area and helped secure the boundaries and management practices of their livelihood zone. Community-based marine conservation in Mauritius led to the protection of 50 hectares of coral reef habitat and 8 hectares of seagrass on the border of a fishing reserve, an initiative that has also attracted more visitors and commerce to the area. Scaling up these initiatives and linking them through regional and global networks can strengthen coastal community resilience.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 19, 2025

Taiwan - How does agricultural land become forest? I trek to find out

Photo credit: Dave Tacon for Nature via Nature.com Excerpt from nature.com “In this picture, I’m working with my four-legged companion, Yang Mei (Little Sheep) near a small village called Nanxi on the eastern coast of Taiwan. I’m an ecologist studying lowland evergreen subtropical forests. I’ve been conducting research here for the past three years and have known Yang Mei since she was a puppy. Not all forest areas are safe for her. In some places, local people have set traps for deer and wild pigs, so she has to stay behind, which she hates. My research is on secondary forest succession, for my doctorate at the University of Melbourne, Australia. I want to understand how forests grow back after agricultural abandonment. The plot I’m studying in this photo was once a citronella plantation (Cymbopogon nardus), then a rice paddy (Oryza sp.), then an orchard. For the past 16 years, it’s been regenerating back into forest. To select areas to survey, I use a compass to get a bearing, and measuring tapes to mark out a specific plot across the slope. When this photo was taken, besides Yang Mei, my team members were Chance, a volunteer from Utah, and Mr Lai, a local landowner. He’s extremely knowledgeable about local plants.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 19, 2025

Saving endangered leopard sharks in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago

Excerpt from aljazeera.com/ 101 East meets the conservationists in Indonesia bringing leopard sharks back from the brink of extinction. Leopard sharks were once abundant in the waters of Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago. However, commercial fishing and the lucrative shark trade have nearly wiped out the population, leaving only 20 adults in these pristine waters. Now, marine biologists are leading a unique project to rewild leopard sharks. Pup sharks are carefully raised in captivity, taught how to hunt and closely monitored before being released into their native waters. 101 East meets the conservationists in Raja Ampat determined to bring leopard sharks back from the brink of extinction.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 11, 2025

The Black Parrot of Seychelles: An Endemic Species Symbolising Biodiversity Conservation in the Indian Ocean

Excerpt from noticiasambientales.com The Black Parrot of Seychelles (Coracopsis barklyi) is a species exclusive to the archipelago, with a prominent presence on the islands of Mahé, Praslin, and Silhouette. Its geographical isolation has favored the evolution of unique traits, clearly differentiating it from other parrots in the Indian Ocean, such as the Black Parrot of Madagascar (Coracopsis nigra), with which it was previously linked as a subspecies. Physical characteristics and ecological role Dark plumage, robust body, and a key role in forest regeneration. With a length that can reach 35 centimeters, this parrot presents plumage ranging from black to gray, and a strong body structure, making it an unmistakable figure in the lush forests of Seychelles. Its diet is based on fruits, seeds, and flowers, positioning it as an essential agent in seed dispersal and regeneration of native flora.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 6, 2025

Rare Gecko Species Rediscovered in Galapagos Following Island Restoration Success

"Caption: Leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus maresi) displaying variation in coloration. Photo credit: IslandConservation.org Excerpt from islandconservation.org Galápagos Islands — June 2025 — In a thrilling twist of ecological fate, scientists have confirmed the rediscovery of a gecko species once thought extinct on Rábida Island in the Galápagos thanks to a successful restoration and rewilding project. The breakthrough, published in the journal PLOS ONE this month, marks a major conservation milestone and a beacon of hope for biodiversity recovery efforts worldwide. The elusive Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus maresi), previously known only from ancient subfossils, has now been officially documented through the collection of live, vouchered specimens during expeditions in 2019 and 2021. Now that the evidence has been peer reviewed, we can confirm the species’ survival in modern times. "

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 5, 2025

"Would You Visit an Island Populated by Venomous Snakes? We Did. "

Excerpt from vice.com About 90 miles off the coast of Brazil is a jagged little island crawling with snakes so venomous, the government flat-out banned anyone from going there. Locals call it Ilha da Queimada Grande. You probably know it as Snake Island. Back in 2014, VICE tagged along on the Brazilian Navy’s annual lighthouse mission to document what most people only learn through legend. Populated by thousands of deadly serpents, every rock and tree on Snake Island hides a golden lancehead viper, armed with venom that can melt human flesh from the inside out. The island is so densely populated with venomous snakes, in fact, that the Brazilian government insists a doctor be present at all legally sanctioned visits. Even with treatment, a bite from the golden lancehead viper carries a three percent chance of death.

Ocean & BiodiversityAugust 4, 2025

Scientist Discusses Her Mission to Protect Jamaica’s Mangrove

Excerpt from pew.org July 26 is International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, a moment to celebrate one of the most essential coastal ecosystems on the planet. In Jamaica, mangroves are more than just a line of defense against rising seas and stronger storms. They are also lifelines for biodiversity and local livelihoods, and they draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester the carbon in soils. Mangroves’ dense root systems act as natural barriers, absorbing wave energy and significantly reducing the effects of floods and storm surges. At the same time, mangroves are nurseries for countless marine species that fuel ocean biodiversity and support local fishing, tourism, and other vital economic activity. These ecosystems also store up to five times as much carbon as terrestrial forests, which, if left undisturbed, can remain locked away for millennia."

Ocean & BiodiversityJuly 28, 2025

Survival at sea: Cuba is rewriting its coral story

Excerpt from oceanographicmagazine.com It’s the middle of the night. The sky is dusty white with stars, so many that it’s difficult to distinguish one from another. The full moon hangs low above the ocean’s inky surface and creatures scuttle across the seafloor. Stripy lionfish dance their poisonous dance, fins fanned in dazzling display. And throughout the intricate passageways of an extensive reef, corals get ready to spawn. Each August, under the cover of darkness, a species of coral at Playa el Coral – off the northern coast of Cuba – releases a cloud of eggs and sperm. The underwater world comes to mirror the sky above, the sea sprinkled with millions of microscopic particles. Coral species reproduce either through “brooding” or “broadcasting.” The former release fully fertilised juveniles; the others, called broadcast spawners, release sperm and eggs separately. If all goes well, somewhere in the vast water column, a tiny sperm and egg will find each other. If by a moon dance miracle, the two gametes do connect, they become a planula, or coral larvae. They are carried by currents or settle on the reef below, trying to beat the odds: only 1% of corals survive their first year of life. Along the two square kilometres of Playa el Coral, hundreds of species reproduce this way: the vibrant purple fan coral, the branching orange elkhorn, and the boulder star coral that encrusts rocks in tiny green polka dots. The scientists and divers who know this spot well all agree: it is one of the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean, if not the world. Many narratives about coral reefs are centred on bleaching, death, and extinction. Which is, for the most part, accurate. According to the World Economic Forum, 14% of reefs have been lost since 2009. In Australia, over 70% of the Great Barrier Reef has bleached. In Florida, 90% of the reefs – stretching some 350 miles – have disappeared in just the past 40 years.