Island conservation: protecting global biodiversity

Offshore islands are some of the most important sites on the planet for conservation, hosting an estimated 15-20% of all known mammal, bird, amphibian and plant species.

Islands have also proved extremely vulnerable to human disturbance throughout history, for example through the introduction of invasive species.

Now, thanks to a range of conservation techniques pioneered in New Zealand, islands give cause for conservation optimism.

In this special event, we discussed a new, short film on island conservation (watch the film at the bottom of this page), created by ZSL PhD student Joshua Powell with funding from the British Ecological Society, and heard from scientists and practitioners at the forefront of island conservation. 

With speakers from ZSL, the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the RSPB, we highlighted the threats to island biodiversity.  

Revealing how conservation science is put into practice to help protect biodiversity on remote islands in the UK Overseas Territories, we discussed the ways in which conservationists and practitioners can become involved with this increasingly important field.

Speakers

• Joshua Powell, PhD Student, Institute of Zoology, ZSL
• Alison Neil MBE, Chief Executive, South Georgia Heritage Trust 
• Dr John Ewen, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL
• Jonathan Hall, Head of UK Overseas Territories, RSPB