Case Study
Saving Sombrero - Resurrection of a unique Caribbean wildlife haven
A Caribbean island brought back from the brink of ecological collapse in a ground-breaking conservation project.
A remote island that has undergone a remarkable transformation from a barren moonscape to a lush wildlife sanctuary in just a few short years has been made one of the largest protected areas in the Caribbean.
The new designation for the island of Redonda is the result of the ongoing efforts of the government of Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Environment and local and international conservation NGOs, including the Environmental Awareness Group, Fauna & Flora and Re:wild.
Before the restoration, Redonda looked like little more than a lifeless slab of bare rock. © Jenny Daltry / Fauna & Flora
Before the restoration, Redonda looked like little more than a lifeless slab of bare rock.
The Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, as it will now be known, covers almost 30,000 hectares of land and sea, including the entire island, its surrounding seagrass meadows and an 18,000-hectare coral reef. Though largely unexplored, the new protected area is believed to contain at least 30 globally threatened and near-threatened species, along with globally important seabird colonies.
The designation follows the success of a major restoration programme launched in 2016 that has transformed Redonda from a ‘dusty moonscape’ to a thriving haven of biodiversity. The first stages of the programme – led by the Environmental Awareness Group, the Department of Environment and Fauna & Flora with support from British Mountaineering Council and other leading conservation groups – primarily involved the removal of invasive species from the island, allowing native species to recover.
Redonda has now been transformed into a greener haven. © Sophie Steele / Fauna & Flora
Redonda has now been transformed into a greener haven.
Bursting back into life
“The Department of Environment is very proud of our part in restoring Redonda, the third island of Antigua and Barbuda,” said Helena Jeffery Brown, Technical Coordinator in the Department of Environment, and founding member of the Redonda Restoration Programme. “Now with the creation of the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, we have made a great stride towards fulfilling our government’s commitment to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water and coastal and marine areas under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at the COP15 of the UN Convention of Biological Diversity in December 2022.”
Following the removal of invasive rats and feral goats in 2017, Redonda burst back into life incredibly quickly. Total vegetation biomass has increased by more than 2,000%, 15 species of land bird have returned, and endemic reptile numbers have increased by more than fourfold. In particular, the population of the Redonda ground dragon – a critically endangered lizard – has increased by 13-fold since 2017.
The Redonda ground lizard, one of the island’s endemic and endangered native species. © Jeremy Holden / Fauna & Flora
The Redonda ground lizard, one of the island’s endemic and endangered native species.
“To date, the restoration of this precious landscape has been truly remarkable,” said Johnella Bradshaw, the Environmental Awareness Group’s Redonda programme coordinator. “So much hard work and dedication, from so many people, has gone into making the establishment of the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve possible – this designation will ensure we can continue rewilding the island to the beautiful, biodiverse environment it once was.
Prickly pear cacti and other native flora are thriving once more in the absence of rats and goats. © Salina Janzan / Fauna & Flora
Prickly pear cacti and other native flora are thriving once more in the absence of rats and goats.
When Redonda was found by Europeans in 1493, it was, like many Caribbean islands, full of life, but European colonisers brought invasive species to the island, which over time destroyed its natural ecosystem. Invasive rats preyed on native wildlife, and feral goats left behind by guano miners ravaged the plants. Redonda’s unique species slowly dwindled and a number were driven extinct. As the vegetation disappeared, soil and rocks slid into the sea, smashing and choking the coral reefs surrounding the island.
Since the removal of the invasive species, Redonda has seen a spectacular recovery, with thousands of native trees taking root and anchoring the soil, seabirds returning to nest in greater numbers and many native animal and plant populations rising exponentially
The number of nesting seabirds on the island has soared since the restoration. © Edward Marshall / Fauna & Flora
Work continues
Meanwhile, the restoration work continues. Fauna & Flora and our partners are collaborating on a range of actions to support Redonda’s biodiversity. These include implementing biosecurity measures to limit the risk of any reinvasions, monitoring the recovery of native species, conducting marine monitoring and surveillance, promoting sustainable fishing, and planning the reintroduction of native species such as iguanas and burrowing owls that cannot find their own way back to the island.
Shanna Challenger, coordinator of the restoration programme, examines Redonda’s new lush vegetation. © Mike Appleton / Re:wild
“The Caribbean Islands are facing the highest extinction rates in modern history, and the restoration and protection of areas like Redonda are critical,” said Jenny Daltry, Caribbean Alliance director for Re:wild and Fauna & Flora. “While the removal of invasive species has been key to Redonda’s revival so far, that’s by no means the end of the story. The protected area designation is vital for our ongoing commitment to restoring Redonda to its former glory, and could pave the way for the reserve to become an incredible sustainable tourism attraction in the near future.”
Fauna & Flora and our local and international partners have now been involved in the restoration of an incredible 30 Caribbean islands. The significance of this work extends well beyond its impact on some of the world’s most endangered species. By resurrecting and protecting these havens of biodiversity, we also aim to increase the resilience of islanders and their native wildlife to the threats posed by climate change.
The Redonda Restoration Programme, along with measures to create and manage the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, have benefited from the support of a host of national and international entities since 2016 including the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (Department of Environment, Fisheries Division and the Forestry Unit), Arcadia, Betty Liebert Trust, BirdsCaribbean, British Mountaineering Council, CABI, CalvinAir, Darwin Initiative through UK Government funding, Environmental Awareness Group, Fauna & Flora, Halcyon Land & Sea, Island Conservation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Parks Authority, Re:wild, Syngenta, Taurus Foundation, United Nations Environment Programme, USAID, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Waitt Foundation, Wildlife Management International Ltd and Wyss Foundation.
Back to the future
The introduction of alien species to the Caribbean has pushed many of the region’s native species to the very brink of extinction.
But there is still hope, as the Redonda success story shows. Please help Fauna & Flora to restore other threatened Caribbean islands to their former glory.
Donate nowMagnificent frigatebird. © Tim Knight / Fauna & Flora
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