Australian island declared fire-ant free after two decades of eradication
Indigenous rangers and scientists have successfully eradicated invasive tropical fire ants from Melville Island after a two-decade conservation effort. The project protects native wildlife, including sea turtles and nesting birds.
Why it matters
This success story demonstrates the effectiveness of community-led conservation and the importance of protecting biodiversity from invasive species.
Over the last two decades, indigenous rangers in Australia's Tiwi Islands have been working on an eradication and conservation effort that was vital to protect the native lives of the region. Scientists, government actors, NGOs and private enterprise all joined hands to eradicate the invasive tropical fire ant species from Melville Island, as they threatened small animals, vulnerable sea turtle hatchlings and nesting birds.Arrival on landIn the 16th century, when Spanish sailors were sailing from the Americas to Australia, they packed dirt in the bottom of the ships to stabilise them. What they were unaware of was that they were also helping some tiny stowaways aboard.
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