Reimagining invasive species management through technology use on Alto Velo Island, Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic, 20 April 2026 – With an area of just 1.02 km², Alto Velo Island, off the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic, may be small, but it is ecologically significant. Home to the largest breeding colony of sooty terns in the Caribbean, along with brown pelicans and brown boobies, the island also supports important habitats for seabirds, reptiles, and other native and endemic species, including the critically endangered Alto Velo curlytail lizard (Leiocephalus altavelensis) and the Alto Velo anole (Anolis altavelensis).

However, like many islands worldwide, Alto Velo faces significant threats from invasive mammals such as rats and feral cats, which place considerable pressure on native species and the broader ecosystem.

To address these challenges, a conservation initiative on Alto Velo is applying new technologies to strengthen biodiversity monitoring and support island restoration efforts. Monitoring and managing species in such rugged and isolated environments is inherently challenging. In response, a consortium of organisations, Island Conservation, American Bird Conservancy and SOH Conservación, with financial support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is using innovative tools to improve the precision of ecological data collection and the efficiency of field operations.

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