“In just 20 years Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas removed 60 populations of invasive mammals from 39 islands: rats, cats, mice, dogs, donkeys, goats, and rabbits. With invasive mammals gone, the stage was set for seabirds to return.
Even after the mammal invaders are removed it’s not always easy to convince seabirds to recolonize an island…
Over the past decade, the biologists of Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas have been attracting seabirds to islands by installing decoys, audio systems, and mirrors (which create an illusion of more birds than there really are). Biologists built artificial burrows to give seabirds a head start on nesting in their new homes. While continuing to remove invasive mammals and vegetation, they have also trained lighthouse keepers and navy personnel to avoid introducing new invasive species…
Of 27 seabird populations that had disappeared from Pacific islands near Baja California, 22 populations have returned within the past decade. Four new species are nesting in the region, including Blue-footed Booby and Caspian Tern.”