Island Invasive Species Removal to Restore Native Biodiversity

Presented by Heath Packard, Chief Philanthropy Officer for Island Conservation, Santa Cruz, CA

Removing invasive species from islands and accelerating the recovery of native plants and animals around the world is the work of the Santa Cruz, California-based non-profit Island Conservation.

Heath Packard, Chief Philanthropy Officer for Island Conservation, will present examples of this work in all corners of the world, from Lehua Island, Hawai’i to Floreana Island, Galápagos.

Projects focus on restoring islands using proven conservation methods and innovative technologies to maximize biodiversity, resilient oceans, and thriving island communities.

Island Conservation began in 1994 with two University of California-Santa Cruz grad students studying seabirds on Mexico’s islands where they saw the damage caused by invasive species. Determined to help, they removed these threats and saw an amazing recovery of the seabirds. Over the past 30 years, the organization has expanded this work, witnessing the ripple effects of island restoration and how biodiversity is the foundation of healthy ecosystems.

Heath Packard holds an MA degree in philosophy and social policy from American University in Washington, DC, and bachelor’s degrees in biology and philosophy from State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego. A conservation professional since 1997, he brings decades of marketing and strategic communications, fundraising, policy, and government and public relations experience to Island Conservation. He has served as field director for the National Wildlife Refuge Association; a groundfish observer in the Bering Sea, Alaska; Washington state policy director for National Audubon Society; and director of legislative and external affairs for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. He has worked on endangered and invasive species issues for most of his career and is an “accidental birder.”

Guano Islands, Peru