Center, Internet, Wildlife Damage Management
Human–Wildlife Interactions
Accessibility Remediation
If you are unable to use this item in its current form due to accessibility barriers, you may request remediation through our remediation request form.
Establishing a Volunteer Group to Assist in the Eradication of Invasive Brown Treesnakes from Islan Dåno' (Cocos Island), Guam
Date of this Version
Fall 2023
Document Type
Article
Citation
Human–Wildlife Interactions (Fall 2023) 17(2): article 11
doi: 10.26077/825a-353b
Special topic: Island invaders
Abstract
Islan Dåno’ (Cocos Island) is an islet of high conservation value located 2.5 km off Guam, USA, in the Western Pacific. It has long been considered free from invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis; BTS). A recently confirmed breeding population of BTS puts its wildlife populations, including U.S. Endangered Species Act-listed lizard and bird species, at risk. In response, we established Guam’s first volunteer group dedicated to BTS eradication, which we named Friends of Islan Dåno’. We provided training to local volunteer snake searchers and organized regular night searches for BTS on Islan Dåno’. We completed 25 searches between June 2021 and January 2022, which were attended by 89 individual volunteers and removed 14 BTS from the island. This case study provides an example of how public participation can be successfully promoted within the context of a complex multi-agency invasive species eradication project.
Comments
Open access. License: CC BY 4.0