Redonda Island Restoration
Redonda went from a dusty moonscape to a wildlife haven and is now one of the largest protected areas in the Caribbean (Fauna & Flora).
Image: Addshore via Wikimedia Commons (Redonda by sea, 2023, CC BY-SA 4.0).
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A bare rock island turned green again in just a few years.
After invasive rats and feral goats were removed in 2017, Redonda's total vegetation The total amount of living material, like the wood and leaves in a forest. Measuring it shows how much carbon plants store. Glossary rose by more than 2,000% (Fauna & Flora).
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
Explain Like I'm 10
- Redonda is a small island in the Caribbean Sea.
- Goats and rats had eaten almost everything, so it was bare rock.
- People removed them, and plants and birds came back fast.
The Five W's of Redonda
Who
Antigua and Barbuda's Department of Environment with the Environmental Awareness Group, Fauna & Flora and Re:wild.
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
What
Removing invasive rats and feral goats, then protecting the island, its reef and sea.
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
When
The restoration programme launched in 2016; the protected area was announced in 2023.
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
Where
Redonda, part of Antigua and Barbuda, in the Caribbean.
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
Why
Invasive animals had stripped the island bare.
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
Connected Solutions
- Ocean hub Redonda's new reserve includes an 18,000-hectare coral reef.
- South Georgia Habitat Restoration The world's largest island rodent eradication.
Impact Statement
Nonprofit and government solution · active
The Redonda A community of living things and the place they live, like a reef or a forest, all depending on each other. Glossary Reserve covers almost 30,000 hectares of land and sea, including an 18,000-hectare coral reef (Fauna & Flora).
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
The new reserve is believed to hold at least 30 globally threatened and near-threatened species (Fauna & Flora).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
The reserve protects Flowering plants that grow underwater in shallow seas, forming meadows that shelter animals and store carbon. Glossary and reef around the island that sea life and fisheries depend on (Fauna & Flora).
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
For Nature
Globally important seabird colonies nest on the island (Fauna & Flora).
Source: Fauna & Flora, Rejuvenated Redonda granted protected area status (Sept. 2023)
Support Redonda
The Environmental Awareness Group works for Antigua and Barbuda's nature.
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