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Island Conservation

With the impending threats of land conversion and overexploitation, island conservation is becoming a much-needed practice in order to protect island ecosystems and prevent extinctions. Another major issue facing island ecosystem biodiversity is the threat of invasive species.

The Caribbean is a ring of islands that is home to some of the richest land and marine environments on earth. The Caribbean supports a great number of species, but it also ranks near the top on almost every global conservation list.
Island conservation organizations recognize the need to deter special interest groups from developing within the fragile island ecosystems and extracting non-renewable resources, however the threat that requires the most immediate attention is that of invasive species.

Invasive species have caused 62% of the native species in the Caribbean to become extinct since the 1600’s. In addition, all of the present day species are endangered of becoming extinct due to invasive species.

Island conservation groups are taking steps in protecting natural places for the plant and animal life existing in the sensitive Caribbean ecosystems, but most importantly they are finding ways in which to minimize the impact of invasive species, which are decimating populations of endemic animals throughout the islands at alarming rates.

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