Seacology Project Update:Protecting Endangered Plant Species on Guadalupe Island, Mexico
By Bradford Keitt, Island Conservation and Ecology Group (ICEG)
Guadalupe Island is a remote outpost off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Home to a small fishing community and a Navy communications station, the island is a quiet place where time is measured by the turning of the tides and the monthly Navy supply ship. Guadalupe is probably best known as the last refuge of the Northern Elephant Seal and Guadalupe Fur Seal - species that were thought to be extinct due to sealing until the remnant colonies on Guadalupe Island were discovered in the mid 1900s. Less well known are the numerous endemic plant species that are on the verge of extinction due to another activity of 18th century sealers - the introduction of goats to supply their sailing ships with meat.
Since the goats were introduced in the 1850s, they have multiplied rapidly. Tree seedlings are quickly browsed by the goats, and the once-vast forests of endemic cypress, pine, oak and juniper trees are now reduced to a few stragglers and any seedlings are quickly browsed by hungry goats. All sizes of native forbs and shrubs are susceptible to browsing and these species are now restricted to areas out of the reach of goats, such as steep cliff faces. Thanks to a generous grant from Seacology, all of this is beginning to change.
In June of 2001 members of the Island Conservation and Ecology Group (ICEG) visited Guadalupe Island in order to plan the creation of 14 goat-proof fences around sensitive plant species. During this trip they discovered populations of two native plant species not seen in over 100 years and presumed extinct. Over the next few months, local ranchers transported thousands of pounds of materials to the goat exclosure locations and built nearly 2 kilometers of fencing. By January 2002 the benefits of these fenced exclosures were already visible - there were 47 new Guadalupe Island pine seedlings within the fences. With only about 200 adult trees remaining on the island, these 47 seedlings may well represent the future of this species.
