Ia Ora Na

On Tetiaroa, like many remote Pacific islands, before the arrival of mammals (humans and rats), crabs played a huge role in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The mammals however reduced the crab populations to a level where some species almost disappeared, and others were greatly diminished. 

As Tetiaroa Society removes invasive species the island is returning to its natural state. One of the results of this is that the crab populations are returning to normal and they are resuming their natural roles on the atoll.

From this, we can all learn how far Brown Boobies travel, how long they are away from Tetiaroa, and if they travel to the same locations repeatedly. The antenna on Tahuna Iti is receiving the data from the tags placed on the birds and then sending it via the cell network to the researchers at UW.

Currently, UW researchers are monitoring 12 birds and are planning to tag at least 14 more. In this figure, you can see the pathways some of the tagged birds took during the first week of monitoring. On this map, each bird is represented by a different color. All of the birds are currently nesting on Tahuna Iti and return to their nests after venturing out. As you can see, more of the birds so far are traveling south rather than north, with some birds visiting Moorea and Tahiti. The tags will stay on the birds for a couple of months, letting the researchers learn more about Brown Booby foraging locations and behaviors during nesting.

Funding and support for this research provided by the Seeley, Anderson, and Bailey Families, and Tetiaroa Society.

Most recently we had a group that came to help with the ant eradication. They cleared kilometers of trails through the bush, carried 10 kilo buckets of bait across the motu, and distributed the bait carefully across selected areas. Many of this group were returning volunteers who helped with the rat eradication, and have come on trash collecting campaigns, and will very likely work with us again.

During this season we would like to say a hearty thank you to all of these dedicated people who have worked with us to preserve and protect Tetiaroa.

Our program, the Blue Climate Initiative, has just published an important new white paper, "Next Generation EV Batteries Eliminate the Need for Deep Sea Mining."  As part of an ongoing global effort to bring about a moratorium on deep sea mining, the paper refutes the claim that deep sea mining is necessary for the growing EV battery market - which strikes at the heart of the mining companies' rationale for mining Earth's least understood ecosystem. 

Tetiaroa Society is a US registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #45-1080688). We host scientific research, develop and implement conservation and education programs, and curate the island's knowledge base. We partner with The Brando to establish Tetiaroa as a model for sustainability, where businesses, non-profits, scientists, educators and the local community work together for common goals. Our program objectives are summarized in our Conservation and Sustainable Use Plan, which is available on our website.