Partula reintroduction in 2023

Partula reintroduction in 2023

After a 4 year gap caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, field conservation of Partula recommenced in April 2023. The largest release of captive-bred animals took place with over 5,000 individuals of P. affinis, P. nodosa, P. hyalina, P. mirabilis, P. suturalis, P. taeniata and P. tohiveana. Partula conservation has always seen close interaction between practical conservation and research, and each release has learned from the success and failures of the past. This year the released snails were marked with a UV reflective paint which greatly helps our ability to spot them in the dark tree canopy. This has dramatically improved our ability to monitor them and we are now gaining insights into their survival and movement after release. Monitoring is also starting to discover the presence of wild-born snails of at least two of the released species, giving evidence of successful re-establishment. During the release snails were watched for 24 hours: a simple, but very revealing study. Unexpectedly, this showed that each snails species behaves different on release, despite have been bred for multiple generations in identical, artifical conditions. This has major implications for how we should be releasing (and keeping) these animals.

Another important part of the release was to survey the predator situation and to identify new sites for reintroduction of snails on Raiatea and Huahine. The New Guinea flatworm Platydemus manokwari is now the largest threat to Partula but we have learned a great deal from the releases and plans for the next stage will incorporate measures to reduce the impacts of this predator.

We are also developing new plans for a different approach to predator-proof reserves, as there is likely to be at least one species that may never survive in the presence of the predatory flatworms.

The April release and research report can be donwloaded here.

Some press coverage and reports of the releases:

'Extinct' snails return to Tahiti in largest wildlife reinduction ever - Mongabay

Polynesian snails release is biggest ever of 'extinct in the wild' species - The Guardian

Scientists reintroduced 5,000 snails to French Polynesian islands - Smithsonian Magazine

'Extinct' snails return to the wild - Zoological Society of London

Saint Louis Zoo helps release thousands of tropical snails - St Louis Zoo

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