Island rewilding with giant tortoises in an era of climate change

[jsheffield]

Abstract​

Replacing recently extinct endemic giant tortoises with extant, functional analogues provide the perhaps best examples of island rewilding to date. Yet, an efficient future application of this conservation action is challenging in an era of climate change. We here present and discuss a conceptual framework that can serve as a roadmap for the study and application of tortoise rewilding in an uncertain future. We focus on three main ecological functions mediated by giant tortoises, namely herbivory, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling, and discuss how climate change is likely to impact these. We then propose and discuss mitigation strategies such as artificial constructed shade sites and water holes that can help drive and maintain the ecosystem functions provided by the tortoises on a landscape scale. The application of the framework and the mitigation strategies are illustrated with examples from both wild and rewilded populations of the Aldabra giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea, in the Western Indian Ocean.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change’.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2017.0442?fbclid=IwAR38knXJrkjn5TSnUs9bcHpT8WDdX-vBFGEisDWREZBlZNSZnczh01zg3zk

I've been doing some reading on the subject of rewilding lately, and on Aldabras (since Dozer came to live with me), and this article grabbed me by the mind.

Jamie

 

[TammyJ]

It's very long and "wordy" but I managed to get some of what they are actually saying (pats herself on the back). The picture I come up with as a definition of "rewilding" in this particular case, anyway, is the tortoises being put back into a place they evolved in long ago, but which has now been so altered by climate change (and maybe human activity as well) that it has to be "re-set" in a way that works for the tortoises and the environment and continues to work ecologically. What then it may amount to, is a large protected and managed "wild enclosure" that works "with a little help from it's friends" - and sure! Why not?

 

[Ray--Opo]

Yeah what TammyJ said . 😁
Great read so far. Saved it to my homescreen so I can continue.
Thanks Jamie for sharing.

 

[Cathie G]

I didn't even have to read it but I will. If they are going extinct because of loss of habitat then even what's left of the wild ones need to be protected with human intervention 🙏 not later. Now.

 

[ryan57]

It's very long and "wordy" but I managed to get some of what they are actually saying (pats herself on the back). The picture I come up with as a definition of "rewilding" in this particular case, anyway, is the tortoises being put back into a place they evolved in long ago, but which has now been so altered by climate change (and maybe human activity as well) that it has to be "re-set" in a way that works for the tortoises and the environment and continues to work ecologically. What then it may amount to, is a large protected and managed "wild enclosure" that works "with a little help from it's friends" - and sure! Why not?

Climate Change is a pretty much a hoax. Just pointing that out. Sample set of data is far to thus small making it mathematical folly.

 

[Tom]

Climate Change is a pretty much a hoax. Just pointing that out. Sample set of data is far to thus small making it mathematical folly.

Thank you for saying it before I did Ryan. Its one big political agenda. "The Great Reset." "You will own nothing and you will be happy." And how about those insects for dinner? Anyone?

They used to call this "Global Warming". Then they got caught lying and fudging the numbers and admitted it was a hoax. They waited a couple of years and re-branded the exact same concept calling it "Climate Change". They didn't even bother to use different computer models for their new fake numbers.

To anyone who doesn't know this already, you are being lied to. The people who are studying the ACTUAL numbers of what is really happening around the world do report a slight, but totally normal, rise in temps, but it is a fraction of what the left's contrived computer models are coming up with. When these legit scientists report the actual real time numbers, they get shut down, cancelled and/or fired. Don't get mad at me for pulling back the curtain. Get mad at the people lying to you from behind the curtain. We recently had a UK member make a remark about last years heat wave due to this climate change and they hadn't seen heat like that in 50 years. I asked what caused the unusually high, record breaking temperatures 50 years ago if it is global warming/climate change today. I did not see a response.

@jsheffield and other interested parties: They've been doing this sort of research with sulcatas in Hawaii, and with Galapagos tortoises in the Galapagos islands too. The landscape engineering that is caused by the presence of giant tortoises is fascinating.

 

[TammyJ]

Whether climate change is real or not does not really matter to me in the "great scheme of things". I don't matter to any great unseen and unknown entity, as far as I can discern. But whatever is or is not so, I know that I care very much for the animals and feel that anything that is being done to try to help them to survive, and that has been shown to be working, is worthwhile.

 

[Tom]

Whether climate change is real or not does not really matter to me in the "great scheme of things". I don't matter to any great unseen and unknown entity, as far as I can discern. But whatever is or is not so, I know that I care very much for the animals and feel that anything that is being done to try to help them to survive, and that has been shown to be working, is worthwhile.

I agree. I too want to take care of Mother Earth and all her animals. I spend my whole life doing just that.

 

[Markw84]

Those of you who know me know I am a numbers guy who loves to crunch numbers and look for trends and causes. I love tracking weather data and history. If you don't believe in climate change, you are not paying attention to what's happening. The cause is debatable. That the climate is changing is not. Let's not confuse the issue with average ocean temperatures, or polar ice cap size, or glacial degradation, number of severe storms per year, etc, etc. Let's keep it simple and simply look at the temperatures in my area over that past 150 years. Skeptics say this type of change happened in the past. Yes. But over 1000's of years to change this much not 120 years.

For Sacramento, CA
Averaged daily high temperature for the year by Decade:

High °F	Decade	High °C
76.3	2010s	24.6
75.7	2000s	24.3
75.8	1990s	24.3
75.2	1980s	24.0
74.4	1970s	23.6
73.4	1960s	23.0
73.5	1950s	23.1
72.3	1940s	22.4
73.5	1930s	23.0
71.9	1920s	22.1
70.8	1910s	21.5
70.3	1900s	21.3
71.1	1890s	21.7
71.4	1880s	21.9

Averaged daily low temperature for the Decade:

Low °F	Decade	Low °C
51.4	2010s	10.8
51.0	2000s	10.6
51.9	1990s	11.1
50.9	1980s	10.5
51.2	1970s	10.6
49.9	1960s	10.0
49.3	1950s	9.6
48.9	1940s	9.4
49.1	1930s	9.5
48.8	1920s	9.3
48.5	1910s	9.1
49.3	1900s	9.6
48.7	1890s	9.3
49.2	1880s	9.6

Average Hot days per year by decade - number of day above 70° and above 90°

Decade	70 °F 21 °C	90 °F 32 °C
2010s	225	91
2000s	218	87
1990s	225	88
1980s	221	83
1970s	210	81
1960s	206	75
1950s	210	69
1940s	196	60
1930s	211	70
1920s	195	57
1910s	189	42
1900s	185	39
1890s	192	49
1880s	198	45

 

[Cathie G]

And well... all I can tell you is what I've lived through over the years. During the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and a little after Ohio winters had deep snow. The winter was crazy cold and lots of ice. The winters here could be terrifying. Now we're lucky if a beautiful snow storm doesn't melt before noon. So our climate has changed here in Ohio. I'm not going to go into what may have caused that because it doesn't matter. With most animals I kinda think they could adapt like us. Some animals could have food longer in the year because they don't have to dig through ice and snow to get some , which leads me to The second excuse they'll give for all the extinction and threatened animals is loss of habitat which is exactly what it takes for them to survive. Food, house, and water with no poison. Humans have pretty much made sure critters don't have that so they can have pretty perfect houses and land. If the critters walk around their old instinctive haunts they can become roadkill too. Sorry I could keep on ranting about some other things I hate that's hurting our wildlife but I better shut up now.

 

[jsheffield]

Arguing with the naysayers is like shouting at the wind or blackflies, and not the reason I come to TFO, so I ignore them....

Jamie

 

[Tom]

Arguing with the naysayers is like shouting at the wind or blackflies, and not the reason I come to TFO, so I ignore them....

Jamie

Ah yes.... Willful ignorance followed by insults and character assassination of the person trying to tell the truth. That's a familiar pattern lately. Shout down and discredit anyone who disagrees with your political point of view. Keep pushing the narrative.

 

[wellington]

Some peoples truth, is their truth only, not nessicarily The Truth!!!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Some peoples truth, is their truth only, not nessicarily The Truth!!!

And from Joe Rogan?

 

[Ray--Opo]

And from Joe Rogan?

If you listen to any local stations that Sinclair owns all over the country.(,hundreds of stations)Any given day they will all spew the same propaganda word for word. Each stations supposed journalistic reporter's didn't research or investigate. They reported what was sent to them from upstairs.
Joe Rogan is not a reporter or a investigative journalist. He is the rot that is ruining this democracy. Some say the democrats want to make U.S. a socialistic state. A socialistic state under the democrats. Would be compared to Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark etc.
Under the republicans it would be the likes of Venezuela, Cuba, Austria-Hungary etc.

 

[wellington]

If you listen to any local stations that Sinclair owns all over the country.(,hundreds of stations)Any given day they will all spew the same propaganda word for word. Each stations supposed journalistic reporter's didn't research or investigate. They reported what was sent to them from upstairs.
Joe Rogan is not a reporter or a investigative journalist. He is the rot that is ruining this democracy. Some say the democrats want to make U.S. a socialistic state. A socialistic state under the democrats. Would be compared to Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark etc.
Under the republicans it would be the likes of Venezuela, Cuba, Austria-Hungary etc.

If anyone starts going political because of this post this post and any other political ones will have to be deleted. Politics are not allow.

 

[Tom]

And from Joe Rogan?

Don't shoot the messenger. I've seen several of them similar to that one from people you've never heard of.

 

[Tom]

He is the rot that is ruining this democracy.

This is not a democracy, though "they" want you to think it is. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. Democracy is majority/mob rules. That's not us.

We are a Republic. We are a nation that is founded on upholding and respecting EVERYONE'S rights, even if they aren't the most popular.

"I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Don't let them divide us. That is their goal.

 

[Cathie G]

This is not a democracy, though "they" want you to think it is. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. Democracy is majority/mob rules. That's not us.

We are a Republic. We are a nation that is founded on upholding and respecting EVERYONE'S rights, even if they aren't the most popular.

"I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Don't let them divide us. That is their goal.

Yes. There are pros and cons to every situation. If we are too divided to talk we can't see the whole truth.

 

[ryan57]

I agree. I too want to take care of Mother Earth and all her animals. I spend my whole life doing just that.

It's very interesting to me that ALL animals know of weather events about to come. It's really noticeable when the tied up animals are mostly affected when there is a tsunami. The others already scrammed outta there. They're tapped into a realm of intuition that we don't have. We build sensors and instruments but the birds know instinctively.

Even more saddening is the fact that Stumpy builds burrows quite nice in great spots with sticks for entrance headers, cool in the shade etc. at less than 1.5 years old with complete knowledge on what to do and we can't even get someone in front of us in "the depot" to get the right card out of their wallet to pay for stuff to build something the wrong way...