Rats Gone, Seabirds Back in Thriving Islands

In the Marshall Islands, two remote Pacific islands — Bikar Atoll and Jemo Islet — have been restored to thriving natural sanctuaries after a year-long rat eradication program.

“Both Jemo and Bikar once held huge rookeries of seabirds and turtles. Now that rats have been removed, we look forward to the recovery of these colonies and the restoration of the vital natural processes that connect the deep ocean, the land and reef,” said Byrelson Jacklick, Invasive Species Coordinator for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce.

The project, led by Island Conservation with local authorities, used drones to drop 25 kilograms of bait per hectare across both islands in 2024, targeting invasive rats that had wiped out seabirds, vegetation, and turtle hatchlings. A year later, surveys confirmed total eradication and remarkable ecological recovery: a colony of 2,000 sooty terns now breeds on Bikar, Christmas shearwaters have appeared for the first time, and thousands of native Pisonia grandis tree seedlings carpet the forest floor where none were found before. The success has brought joy to nearby communities, which once relied on these islands for fishing and resources, and now hope to reconnect with a landscape reborn — a model for future island restorations across the Pacific.