In what’s regarded as one of the standout conservation achievements of the last year, Alopecoenas erythropterus — the Polynesian ground dove — has been rescued from extinction at the hands of invasive mammalian predators (read: rats) introduced over time by waves of human visitors.

The massive operation to bring the birds back from the brink required the combined efforts of NGOs like BirdLife International and Island Conservation, corporations like Bell Labs and Tomcat, and public and private stakeholders.

While nature can sometimes seem cruel in its indifference to biodiversity and its outsized rewards for large-scale predators, it’s the human introduction of outside species that most reliably triggers disastrous changes in competition over habitat.

Read the full article about saving Polynesia's birds from extinction by James Poulos at GOOD Magazine.