DEAR FRIENDS, WHY ISLANDS

Every day we do our best to make the right choices for our planet. Yet, it’s easy to wonder if our choices are having a measurable impact. Will our e orts really make the world a better place for generations to come? Islands are biodiversity hotspots well known for and trampling sensitive habitat. Fortunately, on their species richness. Island ecosystems are many islands, populations of If there is one conservation action we can depend on for tangible change, it’s also among the more vulnerable environments can be completely removed. After the last island restoration. Removing invasive species from islands works. It results in on Earth and host 75% of all known invasive individual has been removed from an healthy ecosystems, reinvigorated livelihoods, and thriving native plants and IMPACT REPORT extinctions. The primary driver of these island, many plants and will begin to animals. Cover photo: 2016 / 2017 extinctions? Invasive species. recover, and other key restoration activities can Polynesian Ground-dove on Acteon & Gambier archipelagos . Credit: Maddy Pott take place. Island restoration is one of those rare This gives me hope. Invasive species are non-native and cause and refreshing conservation undertakings that Acteon & Gambier photo: environmental, social, or economic harm when can be declared successful with finality and on Vahanga Atoll Our 2016-2017 Impact Report highlights the tangible results achieved by our French Polynesia. Credit: Maddy Pott introduced to a region. On islands, the presence clarity. most recent island restoration projects. In 2017, we announced the successful of invasive species is particularly problematic restoration of seven islands in three di erent regions of the world. Desecheo Desecheo photo: because the native plants and wildlife have By working together, we can achieve remarkable Island, is now ideally positioned to once again host large colonies Puerto Rico. Credit: Claudio Uribe often evolved without defenses against invasive conservation breakthroughs that prevent of seabirds and native lizard species. Habitat for the Critically Endangered impacts. extinctions and allow native island plants and Polynesian Ground-dove and Endangered Tuamotu Sandpiper has doubled Cabritos photo: wildlife to thrive again. Since Island thanks to the restoration of five islands in the Acteon and Gambier archipelagos Ricord's Iguana on Cabritos Island . Credit: Wes Jolley Because islands are small and surrounded by Conservation’s inception over 20 years ago, in French Polynesia. Critically Endangered juvenile Ricord’s Iguanas and water, invasive species can quickly overwhelm we’ve worked for this transformation on 59 Vulnerable Rhinoceros Iguanas are now scurrying about on Cabritos Island, Back photo: and alter an island ecosystem. Invasive islands. Thanks to your support, that number Dominican Republic—a sight rarely seen when invasive species were present. Rhinoceros Iguana on Cabritos Island, predators easily raid nests and prey on juvenile continues to climb. With each passing year, we’re Dominican Republic. Credit: Tommy Hall and reptiles, while invasive herbivores picking up speed in the race against extinction. As we celebrate our successes, we continue to look forward and advance our cause damage by overgrazing native vegetation work on Alejandro Selkirk Island in , in the Galápagos, and more for 2018 and beyond.

Thank you to our donors, partners, and friends. You make our work possible. May you face each day hopeful for a future even brighter than imagined, ISLANDS REPRESENT knowing that you are a part of real change.

Best,

INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

5.3% 75 % 41 % 19% 86 % Karen Poiani Angus Parker Of the Earth's landmass Of , amphibian, , Of all CR and EN Of avian biodiversity Of recorded extinctions linked to and reptile extinctions terrestrial vertebrates invasives occurred on islands

Island Conservation CEO Island Conservation Chair UNEP-WCMC 2015 Tershy et al. 2015 Spatz et al. 2017 Tershy et al. 2015 Bellard et al. 2015

© Island Conservation 2017

www.islandconservation.org 2016 FINANCIAL INFORMATION RESTORATION ON THE RISE DELIVERING REAL RESULTS 2016/2017 DONORS SELECT SITES OF OUR CONSERVATION INTERVENTION PARTNERSHIPS ACTEON & GAMBIER ARCHIPELAGOS DESECHEO ISLAND CABRITOS ISLAND Aaron and Marina Killick Govert van Drimmelen French Polynesia Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Acacia Conservation Fund Graham Mannion NEDO/Equilibrio Films Alan and Ashley Dabbiere Harrods Creek Fund on behalf of Hal Candee and Eliza Neil Estep GRANTS CONTRIBUTIONS PROGRAM SERVICES Alan and Ruth Keitt Brown Nick and Emmalie Hall-Skank 3,300,121 1,617,821 Amber Duncan Heath Packard Open Door Foundation North American Region (including US territories) 775,184 Andrew Luk Ian Pirie Pacific Development and Conservation Trust South American Region 1,550,209 MIDWAY HAWADAX LEHUA KAHO’OLAWE ANACAPA SAN NICOLAS Anne Scholten Ingrid Parker and Gregory Gilbert Peter and Carroll McCallum Region 1,336,923 US Territory United States United States United States United States Anonymous Donors International Galapagos Tour Operators Association Phillip Erven Southwest Pacific Region 561,032 Anthony Brake and Yvonne McHugh Foote Trust - Invasive Species Council of Quinn Rennerfeldt Aspen Helicopters Iris Soltra Rebecca Grady % % Other Global Priorities 21,090 Association of Retired Safeway Employees Irving Decatur & Cecile Derouin Reed and Sunshine Du us 49 23 Conservation Science 228,686 Atherton Family Foundation J. Royden Saah Repass-Rodgers Fund for the Environment at Innovation 283,092 Audrey Newman Jack and Rikki Swenson Community Foundation Santa Cruz Bailey Smith Fund Janet Eyre RJM Foundation Baldo Marinovic & Kristen Tibbitts Janning Kennedy Roman Bodinek Total Program Services 4,756,216 Bell Laboratories Jason Weinstein Salesforce Foundation CONTRACTS OTHER INCOME Bellevue Foundation Jennifer Rycenga Sally Esposito 1,851,362 15,938 Beth Summers Joe Beek Sandler Foundation Birdlife International John and Evelyn Readdie Sara Kaiser SUPPORTING SERVICES Bruce Posthumus Jon Hoekstra and Jennifer Steele Schmitz-Fromherz Family Fund Bruce Weissgold Jonathan Franzen and Kathy Chetkovich Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Cathy Granholm Joyce and Brian Bender Programme Development 575,938 Chris Dunn and Michele McKinley Julio and Michelle Ramirez Shanbrom Family Foundation % % Management & General 1,136,520 Chris Moser Justine Willeford, The Pelican House Shawn Zack 27 1 Total Supporting Services 1,712,458 Christine Sculati Kathryn Tosney Solon and Diane Finkelstein Christine Sodt Kathryn Waldman Stanford Alumni Group Total Expenses 6,468,674 In June 2017, just two years after ambitious Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rare iguanas of Cabritos Island are poised to Christopher Martin Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund Stephanie Clark-Poveda TOGETHER, WE PREVENT EXTINCTIONS Clark Mitchel Kevin and Sabrina McDonald Family Fund Stephen and Evelyn Knaebel restoration e orts, Island Conservation, Rico, is returning to life following intensive recover and thrive in their newly restored Coastal Conservation Kingfisher Foundation Stephen and Sheryl Johnson Birdlife International, and SOP Manu restoration e orts. In June 2017, home. Cabritos, an island in a lake on the Corporación Nacional Forestal Kirk Elwell Steven Reneau TOTAL REVENUE declared five islands in French Polynesia’s conservation biologists confirmed that the island of the Dominican Republic, is home to Cristina Mittermeier Photography Kirsten Liske Susan Scott and Craig Thomas 6,785,242 Acteon and Gambier archipelagos safe island is once again safe for seabirds, the Critically Endangered Ricord’s Iguana Dan Simberlo and Mary Tebo Lara Kilpatrick Sydney Arkowitz havens for some of our world’s rarest birds. endemic lizards, three endemic arachnids, and the Vulnerable Rhinoceros Iguana. Over Darwin Initiative, UK Government Larisa Stephan Tanya Atwater Islands within the Acteon and Gambier and the native, federally Threatened Higo the years, invasive species, including feral Dave Kwinter Leo Model Foundation Teresa Beck archipelagos provide critical habitat for Chumbo cactus. Since early in the 20th cats and burros, have driven these iguana David and Carol Finkelstein Lesley Franz Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation David Hartley Leslie Larson and Michael Bennett The Baltoro Trust the Critically Endangered Polynesian century, invasive on Desecheo populations down to near extinction by Dawson Family Fund Libra Foundation The Betty Millard Foundation Ground-dove, locally known as Tutururu, and have caused extensive damage to the eating their young, destroying nests, and Dean and Makayla Counselman Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic Society The Bobolink Foundation the Endangered Tuamotu Sandpiper, locally island’s native plants and wildlife. By the turn damaging critical habitat. Deborah Dunn Lydia Garvey The Charitable Gift Trust of R. James Macaleer known as Titi. Fewer than 200 Tutururu and of the millennium, virtually no seabirds were North Carolina State University MacKinnon Family Charitable Foundation The David and Lucile Packard Foundation about 900 Titi remain in existence. Predation present on the refuge. In response, the US To save Cabritos Island’s iguanas, Island Dennis and Jan Iocco Malcolm Roberts The Fenton Family Gift Fund and competition by invasive mammals have Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Island Conservation teamed up with the Dominican Department of Land and Natural Resources - Hawaii March Conservation Fund The Galapagos Conservation Trust driven these bird species to the brink of Conservation, and other key partners, Republic’s Ministry of the Environment and Devrin Weiss Mark and Leila Sutherland The Graf-Pulvino Family Fund Dominic Chaplin Mark Shwartz The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust extinction. In 2015, the partners, with including the US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and SOH Conservación. Don Macnaughtan Marty Krasney The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund support from our donors, took action to Bell Laboratories, and Tomcat, began With the support of our donors, we joined a Electra Foundation Mary and John Wegmann The Seaver Institute protect these birds and other native species restoring the island’s habitat by removing project in 2013 to remove the invasive Environment and Climate Change Mavis Musitelli The William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation by removing invasive mammals. invasive species. predators. Eric Cleveland Maynard Davis Tides Foundation on the recommendation of Ms. Julie Tavolara NGEANGES KAYANGEL ACTEON & GAMBIER AUSTRALIA ANTIPODES MARQUESAS PALMYRA Fernando Mellado McGreevy and Winer Family Fund Parker Benello and Mr. Allen Benello Today, the islands are looking vibrant with Today, we are seeing strong signs of native The island is already showing signs of Fletcher Bay Foundation Merren Tait Tim Burnett Italy Palau French Polynesia Partnership New Zealand French Polynesia Line Islands the growth of new native vegetation. This plants and animals recovering. There has recovery with young iguanas scurrying Fondation Ensemble Michael Blum Tony Henderson Fondo Especies Invasoras Galapagos Michael Muchmore U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restoration project has more than doubled been an expansion and growth of the Higo about. In October 2017, Island Conservation Foothill Knolls Elementary School, 4th Grade Class Michael Puente United Nations Development Programme, Global safe breeding habitat for the Tutururu and Chumbo cactus and an increase in nesting and our partners returned to Cabritos and Foothill Knolls Elementary School, 5th Grade Class Michael Sweeney Environment Facility the Titi. For the first time in decades, both birds. With the USFWS, we have also begun declared the project a success. Frans Lanting MNM Charitable Fund Ventana Surfboards & Supplies bird species have established on Tenarunga planning for seabird restoration to speed up Galapagos Conservancy Moore Family Foundation Warren B. King Ttee PINZÓN FLOREANA CHOROS CHAÑARAL JUAN FERNÁNDEZ ALLEN CAY CABRITOS DESECHEO and their populations are increasing. the return of key species including Gavin Shire Morrison Foerster William Delveaux Gibson Reynolds National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pelagic Bird Wilson Conservation Trust Galápagos Galápagos Chile Chile Chile Bahamas Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Audubon’s Shearwaters and Bridled Terns. “ IN NATURE NOTHING EXISTS ALONE The future of Desecheo is looking bright, Glen Tepke Fund Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation Glenn Skankey National Geographic Society RACHEL CARSON with a chance to reclaim its status as the region’s most important seabird nesting site. View our full Impact Report online at: www.islandconservation.org/report/2017 Donors as of October 2017