Islands

Islands are critical for the survival of threatened species and ecosystems, especially pest-free islands.

Islands make up 5.3% of Earth's land area yet maintain an estimated 19% of bird species and 17% of flowering plants (Tershy et al. 2015). Globally, 61% of all extinct species and 37% of all critically endangered species are confined to islands.

In New Zealand islands are 1.2% of the land area. There are 1,300 island larger than a football field. Yet over 50% of threatened birds and over 30% of threatened reptiles need the refuge of islands.

Islands also include some of New Zealand’s rare ecosystems such as coastal cliffs, seabird burrowed soils, seabird guano deposits and marine mammal haul-outs.  New Zealand’s status as a biodiversity hot-spot means that the protection and management of our islands is of global importance.

Islands provide the best investment for scarce conservation resources.