Environmental Stories of Hope!

There’s a lot of grim environmental news out there. It’s easy to let it get you down, but we’re here to share stories of hope for the future. All around the world, conservationists are seeing success in our efforts to restore, rewild, and reinvigorate the natural world. Study after study shows that conservation works, that it can be an effective nature-based solution, and that it can even help fight climate change, improve food security for local communities, reduce disease, and save species from extinction. 

So, here is some good news to brighten your day. We’ve rounded up nine amazing stories of times when people have helped turn the tide and are seeing real results in protecting our world’s most vulnerable ecosystems!

1. Polynesian Storm-petrels return to Kamaka Island, French Polynesia for the first time in 100+ years 

Endangered species are a top priority for conservationists around the world, but seabirds are particularly important. They bring key nutrients from the sea to the land, making them an important connector species that ensures the health of both ecosystems. 

Polynesian Storm-petrels are endangered seabirds that nest in burrows around the Pacific. Nesting in the ground makes them especially vulnerable to invasive predators, which have made it impossible for them to live on many of their ancestral island homes. Our project on Kamaka in the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia has made it safe for Polynesian Storm-petrels to return for the first time in more than a century. 

Using social attraction methods, our scientists played recordings of bird calls and set up nest boxes for them. Within three weeks, the birds came back! Kamaka is a key breeding ground for at least six bird species, and that number will only grow. 

2. Audubon’s Shearwater nesting on Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico for the first time ever

Puerto Rico’s Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge is a unique habitat. It’s mountainous and rugged, covered in semi-deciduous dry forest and grassland. The soil is porous and the grading is steep, so Desecheo’s fresh water comes entirely from rainfall. The challenging habitat was once a critical breeding ground for seabirds, but these ground-nesters had no defense against invasive mammals. Five of the seven breeding seabird species disappeared from the island and the two that remained decreased to less than 2% of their original population sizes. 

But there’s hope. For the first time ever, an Audubon’s Shearwater nested on Desecheo—and she laid an egg right next to the base of a speaker that our scientists were using to play bird calls. After making the islands safe for these nesting birds again, we accelerated recovery by attracting them. Our project to restore this island in collaboration with local partners began back in 2007, and almost 20 years later, the recovery is astonishing—and this world-first Caribbean nesting shows how conservation projects like this really do work. It’s more than just a scientific achievement; it’s a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and unwavering commitment to conservation. It’s a story of how a once-imbalanced island is being transformed into a sanctuary where seabirds can thrive once again! 

3. Peruvian Diving-petrels return to Pajaro Unos Island, Chile after decades of absence 

When a species is near extinction, one of our strongest nature-based solutions is habitat restoration. The pressures that made survival difficult for Peruvian Diving-petrels in Chile ended up reducing their breeding colonies to the point where they were put on the IUCN’s Red List: the internationally agreed-upon group of species that are at risk of disappearing off the planet. Historically, Peruvian Diving-petrels, small ground-nesting seabirds, bred on 13 islands in Peru and Chile. Devastated by invasive species, habitat destruction from guano extraction, and poaching, the population plummeted, putting them at risk of global extinction. 

The Peruvian Diving-petrel is one of our favorite birds at Island Conservation. We’ve worked with them on Choros and Chañaral Islands in the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, Chile, where our work led to the growth of seedlings and native plants, nesting birds were able to live in nests that had once been blocked by invasive animals, and social attraction expanded the traditional breeding range of these species. 

And in 2024, after decades of absence, Peruvian Diving-Petrels returned to Pajaros Uno Island in Chile. Using camera traps, we watched breathlessly as petrels—locally known as “yuncos”—explored the island and checked out the burrows we had prepared for them. Now, Peruvian Diving-Petrels have been downlisted to be “Near-Threatened”—a rare example of what can happen when we work hard to bring a species back from the brink!  

4. Pinzón Giant Tortoise hatchlings survive and thrive on island home for first time in over 150 years  

Pinzón and Rábida are islands near the center of the Galapagos archipelago, a key cradle of biodiversity. The islands here are famed for the role they played in Charles Darwin’s development of the theory of evolution, and they exhibit an extremely high level of endemism: plants and animals live there that can be found nowhere else on Earth. 

Many of Pinzón and Rábida’s most iconic species had been locally extinct. But a ten-year conservation project has resulted in great improvement to the stability of these precious island ecosystems. As the islands healed, we discovered a healthy and growing population of Galapagos Rails on Pinzón, where they had never been recorded before. Similarly, Cactus Finches—which had been considered extinct on Pinzón—were sighted recolonizing the island and enjoying its flourishing ecosystem. 

Pinzón is also home to giant tortoises whose eggs and young had, for 150 years, been food for invasive rats. The aging population was set to die off without intervention, but a captive breeding program paired with holistic restoration efforts has led to the first successful tortoise hatching in more than a century. The baby tortoises emerged from their nests into an environment where they’d be able to grow up safely! 

Perhaps most exciting, though, was the discovery of a group of very small geckos living on Rábida. These geckos had only been known to science through the existence of subfossil records that dated back more than five thousand years. It’s like this species was brought back from the dead! 

5. Native Pisonia forest increases by over 5000% on Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands 

Island vegetation captures millions of metric tons of carbon each year, and it has the potential to capture millions more. Turning atmospheric carbon into leaves, roots, and trunks is a challenge, though, when seedlings struggle to survive in a devastated ecosystem.  

Palmyra Atoll, within the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument, is an example of what can happen when holistic restoration takes hold. Environments like Palmyra’s Pisonia forests are globally unique carbon stocks, and locally-led restoration efforts aimed to preserve them. And what we found was astonishing. 

Over the course of four years, we watched as Pisonia forests on Palmyra saw a 5000% growth increase once the islands were free from invasive rats. This growth gives more evidence that holistic conservation interventions by humans can bring balance back to ecosystems, which can help us balance out our atmosphere, too! 

6. Sea turtles thrive and food supplies secured on Loosiep Island, Ulithi Atoll  

In the Pacific, getting food out to remote island communities proves a real challenge. Many people use nearby uninhabited islands for “gardening,” and the fishing and agriculture centered around these places can sustain many people, allowing them to preserve their way of life. This was the role of Loosiep Island in Ulithi Atoll. One of five islands in Ulithi known as the Turtle Islands, Loosiep also provides an important nesting site for Micronesian Green Sea Turtles. 

But invasive species preyed on eggs and hatchlings, along with bird eggs and coconut crabs, and devoured crops. Their impact made it difficult for the local Ulithi communities to harvest food from Loosiep. Working together in support of the community, we were able to help remove these invasive species, and now, surveys show the increased presence of crabs, birds, and turtles. Animals that move between the sea and the land—“connector species”—bring vital nutrients to the ecosystem that wash off and enrich the surrounding waters, too, leading to stronger coral reefs and fish populations. 

The restoration of this gardening island not only safeguards the unique biodiversity of Ulithi Atoll but also ensures the well-being and food security of its residents. With the invasive rats gone, the islanders wasted no time in revitalizing Loosiep’s agricultural potential. Crops such as bananas, sweet potatoes, okra, and breadfruit were planted, restoring a vital source of food for the residents of neighboring Falalop. 

Magul Rulmal Jr., community organizer and resident of Ulithi, has expressed how much this restoration has meant for his community’s vision of the future. “Through this journey, we’ve ignited excitement and fostered a sense of ownership in our community’s sustainability for generations to come. The realization of such formidable eradication efforts in our traditional, remote Ulithi communities exemplifies what can be achieved when we unite with determination and passion. It exceeds even my wildest dreams.”   

7. Innovative action builds climate resilience on Wallis and Futuna Islands, Uvea 

Who said old-school conservation can’t learn new tricks? Heavy-lift drones have proved to be a faster, cheaper, safer, and more efficient method for removing invasive species compared to traditional methods, such as helicopters or ground crews. It’s more than that, though—drones have made it possible for us to add projects to our portfolio of holistically restored islands that we wouldn’t even have been able to consider before. 

In Uvea, one of the three chiefdoms of Wallis and Futuna, we conducted over 500 individual drone flights that delivered conservation bait across nine different islands. Local coconut crab fisherman Akulio Latai, chief of the village of Vailala, shared that his livelihood has been restored by the use of drones on the islets where he works. Baby coconut crabs are a sign of a thriving, revitalized ecosystem—all thanks to drones! 

Drones also help us collect data and track species, amassing high-resolution images and information we can use to improve our work. It’s exciting to be on the cutting edge of conservation tech, helping improve the scope and scale of environmental work around the world!

8. Restoring an Alaskan Island to its native Aleut name 

“Rat Island”–it’s not the most attractive name for a beautiful Aleutian Island and important bird breeding ground in Alaska. Thanks to an ambitious project to restore it, though, that’s not its name anymore. 

Hawadax is the traditional Unangan name for this island. Pronounced “how-AH-thaa,” the name was not officially recognized, and Rat Island was known for only that: rats. But after a successful project to remove that damaging invasive species, the Aleutian Unangan community successfully petitioned for the restoration of its original indigenous name. 

Hawadax’s name change came along with a remarkable recovery that exceeded expectations. Once susceptible to rat predation, chicks of many different birds successfully hatched and fledged on the island. The success even led to the very first sighting of Tufted Puffins on the island ever recorded! 

Ngerkeklau Island, Palau: Inspiring the next generation of conservationists 

Indigenous knowledge and science is the key to environmental protection. This idea is borne out again and again by science—but passing that knowledge down to new generations can be difficult when there aren’t examples of healthy, thriving ecosystems nearby. 

In Palau, though, the Ngerkeklau Nature/Culture Preserve is the perfect outdoor classroom. Managed by the Ebiil Society, an indigenous knowledge educational organization, Ngerkeklau provides a home for rare birds and turtles, and its key well-preserved cultural sites include early village foundations and defense walls. 

Once overrun with invasive rodents, Ngerkeklau’s precious biodiversity was in peril. But thanks to a massive locally-led effort, its now-pristine mangrove forests and beaches are safe for baby birds and turtles.  

With the major stressor to the ecosystem of invasive rats removed, the Ebiil Society is working with local youths and community members to restore the island, the surrounding ocean habitat, and all the connected wildlife. Current projects include reforestation with native trees, sea turtle monitoring, sea cucumber recovery, marine debris removal and education, and summer camps that teach indigenous knowledge about how to care for this special place. 

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