Island Specialists: Shared Flora of the Alta and Baja California Pacific Islands

Background and Aims: Cedros Island is the southernmost outpost of the California Floristic Province, the largest island in the Californian archipelago, and home to a suite of endemic plants and animals. As such, it is an important resource within the Pacific Islands Biosphere Reserve, with many management concerns. The goal of this study was to document newly arrived plant species on Cedros Island, Baja California, Mexico.Methods: From the 8th to the 11th February 2019 we visited Cedros Island and made observations of plants around Cedros Village using the platform NaturaLista (iNaturalist).Key results: Thirteen new plant taxa were detected around Cedros village, all were non-native. These discoveries follow a very recently published checklist on the flora and suggest that new non-native plants are arriving rapidly. Conclusions: Recommended management implications include monitoring and eradication of new species, particularly at inhabited areas, and with priority given to highly invasive species such as Cenchrus setaceus and C. ciliaris.

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Involvement of a Fishing Community in the Eradication of the Introduced Cactus Mouse (Peromyscus eremicus cedrosensis) from San Benito Oeste Island, Mexico

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13110588 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 588

Author(s):

Federico Méndez Sánchez ◽

Alfonso Aguirre-Muñoz ◽

Araceli Samaniego ◽

Yuliana Bedolla Guzmán ◽

Ana Cárdenas Tapia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Islands ◽

Local Community ◽

Baja California ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Fishing Community ◽

Mexican Pacific ◽

Eradication Strategy ◽

Mexican Government ◽

Restoration Work ◽

Peromyscus Eremicus

San Benito Archipelago is internationally important for the conservation of 13 species of seabirds. San Benito Oeste, the largest and only inhabited island, was declared mammal-free in 2000 after a series of eradications conducted in collaboration between the fishing cooperative Pescadores Nacionales de Abulón, the Mexican conservation organization, Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C., and the Mexican Government. The archipelago remained mammal-free until 2006, when an unusual invader, the Cedros island cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus cedrosensis), was accidentally introduced to San Benito Oeste island. The same collaboration scheme involving locals, conservationists, and authorities was once again put in motion, delivering tangible results. Research informed the mouse eradication strategy, the local community supported the operation, and the mouse eradication was successfully implemented in December 2013. To date (8 years later), no mammals have been recorded in the archipelago, which suggests community-led island biosecurity is working. In addition, this collaborative restoration work contributed to the creation of the Baja California Pacific Islands Biosphere Reserve, protecting 21 islands, including the San Benito Archipelago, and 97 islets in the Mexican Pacific.

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