Over recent decades, large swathes of Slovakia’s wetlands have been lost. They have been drained to make way for agriculture as a result of the construction of dams for hydroelectric power, as well as for timber production. Wetlands are an integral part of the Danube floodplain landscape in Slovakia and draining them to plant trees has detrimental impacts on the environment. Wetlands store large amounts of carbon and are home to a diversity of plant and animal species that are specially adapted to the wet conditions. One of these species is the nationally endangered and endemic Pannonian root vole, which has declined drastically in Slovakia in response to disappearing wetlands. This project will turn forest back into a wetland by digging 650 meters of ditches. This will kickstart a “flood” of change and bring back a healthy functioning, sustainable and wilder ecosystem.

We are flooding a forest - here’s why

This ambitious project aims to restore an area of degraded wetland by digging water channels that will reconnect the site to a nearby river. These channels will enable water to travel from the river to the core area of the wetland and restore a more beneficial flooding regime. The project will also remove encroaching woody vegetation that is outcompeting the native wetland plant communities. 

create suitable conditions for the regeneration of the wetland plant communities;

suppress the expansion of non-native plant species;

create suitable habitat for a diversity of invertebrates, amphibians, birds and mammals;

and finally, sequester vast amounts of carbon.

Within the next two years, we will be supporting our partners Broz to create 650 meters of water channels to restore a 64ha wetland. 

Learn More About the Context Behind this Project

Wetlands can be found anywhere water interacts with land. The diverse and complex conditions of wetland habitats can support a diversity species, including an abundance of invertebrate and bird life. Wetlands are therefore some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. They also play a crucial role when it comes to climate change. They help fight floods by absorbing excess water and limit droughts by releasing water slowly.

The waterlogged conditions combined with high plant productivity make many freshwater wetlands, including the wetlands we are restoring, significant carbon sinks. Our wetland has the potential to sequester between 200 – 350 tonnes of carbon per year (Mitsch et al., 2013; Brix et al. 2001). When converted to carbon dioxide this means that every year it will sequester about 1290 tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere. That is the equivalent of you taking 3902 flights between Lisbon and London or the full footprint of about 189 average Europeans each year. 

The Pannonian root vole is what’s known as a glacial relict. This means it is a species leftover from the cold-adapted communities of the Ice Age. As the climate warmed and the continental ice sheets retreated, the Pannonian root vole population disappeared from most of its range.  However, it managed to avoid complete extinction, surviving as isolated populations in the vicinity of the Danube river in Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. 

Despite clinging on for thousands of years after the Ice Age, the Pannonian root vole is now under immense pressure from human activity. As well as having an already restricted range, the Pannonian root vole has very specific habitat requirements, which makes it a particularly sensitive species. 

Their survival hinges upon the conservation and restoration of functioning wetland habitats. 

The site we are restoring was drained during the 80s and 90s primarily due to the construction of a dam, and secondarily to create suitable conditions for timber production. An extensive wetland ecosystem, 80ha in size, was lost. This is a perfect example of how not all tree planting is beneficial to the environment. 

Today, the site still floods, but very rarely and for such a short period of time that the wetland’s natural communities are unable to establish. The native plant species that are important for the Pannonian root vole are still declining and being replaced by woody vegetation, such as shrubs and trees, and invasive plants are taking over. Our intervention aims to reverse this trend. 

Learn how we aim to protect the endangered Pannonian Root Vole, an Ice Age survivor, and capture carbon in this wetland restoration project.

Restoring Wetlands

Turning a forest back into a biodiverse, carbon rich wetland

On a stunning 15 km stretch of Portuguese coast two special cliff plants found nowhere else on earth are facing extinction. One threat is the spread of the ice plant, an invasive species that can have a devastating impact on the ecosystem. Another issue is that many park visitors are unaware that rare plants exist here and so may not take enough care to protect them. A further challenge to conservation is access. The endangered plants are perched on steep cliff faces making access to monitor them difficult.

To address these challenges we are organising invasive plant removal events. Helping hands are coming from local rock climbers and cavers, joining us as volunteers united by their passion to protect local biodiversity. These events are also a way of spreading awareness and engaging different groups in a dialogue about what can be done for these species. For the monitoring, we will be using a drone to detect the rare plants and to document changes in the vegetation as a result of our efforts to remove the invasive ice plant.

By protecting these precious plants we are helping reduce biodiversity loss and trying to treasure nature in all its glorious forms. 

Invasive plant removal and community engagement

We are organizing events with local volunteers to help remove the invasive ice plant from the area where it is competing with the rare cliff plants. This is done by manually pulling the plants and removing them from the area. With these events we are aiming to:

stop the invasion before it spreads further and control efforts become unfeasible;

take direct action to restore diverse cliff plant communities (similar efforts have been successful elsewhere);

spread awareness about these species to prevent any damage by park visitors;

encourage dialogue between all the groups involved in protecting, studying and enjoying the area.

Monitoring with a drone and photogrammetry

We will be capturing drone images to survey inaccessible cliffs and ensure we have the evidence needed to guide our conservation actions. We expect the technology will have multiple uses: 

detecting the presence of rare plant species in hard to access locations;

monitoring the distribution of the invasive ice plant and use this data to coordinate removal events; 

monitor the vegetation before and after ice plant removal to check if the vegetation is recovering as expected or if further intervention is needed.

We've described the project itself above, but read on to see why this is so important.

Learn more about how and why we want to protect these plants

For some plants, the cliffs of Cabo Espichel are the ideal refuge from human disturbance and from other species that would outcompete them elsewhere. Two of these plant species have their entire global distribution restricted to this 15 km stretch of coastline and have been listed as endangered in the recently published Red List of Vascular Plants of continental Portugal. 

Convolvulus fernandesii is a species of vine that grows on the cliff faces and at their base, sometimes climbing over other plants and shrubs. It puts out beautiful white flowers in the spring and in the summer its bright green leaves turn yellow. It is extremely rare with the latest estimate putting the total number of mature individuals at 500. 

Euphorbia pedroi is a sub-succulent plant that is adapted to dry conditions which can attain up to 2m in height and more than 2m in width. Its leaves have a very distinct tone of green before they are shed every year during the heat of summer. Although it appears to be more numerous than C. fernandesii, there are only three known subpopulations in the area and it is unclear to what extent these are connected. 

The extreme scarcity of each of these plants makes this a worthwhile mission to ensure their uniqueness remains instead of losing them forever.

Threats that are thought to be affecting both species include:

increases in the frequency and intensity of droughts; 

the spread of the invasive ice plant (Carporboruts edulis).

Take a look at this special vegetation that can only be seen here. The final image shows the spread of the invasive 'ice plant'.

Other than the two narrow endemics, this part of the coast is very rich in plant diversity with about 1400 plant species recorded. Some of these are rare in Portugal and have been identified as a conservation priority by the Portuguese Botanical Society including:         

One serious threat for these rare species is the spread of ice plant (Carpobrous edulis) in the area. This is an invasive succulent plant that forms dense mats which change the soil composition and displace native species that have been evolving together for millennia. It can spread rapidly on dunes and coastal cliffs wiping out entire plant communities. As in other European countries, the species was introduced in Portugal during the 1900s because it was thought to help prevent coastal erosion. It is currently widespread along the Portuguese coast. 

Rock climbers are among the people that spend the most time exploring these cliffs and so are more likely to encounter these rare species. By spreading awareness among the climbing community we want to help reduce the chances that someone will damage these plants due to a lack of knowledge. What’s more, rock climbers are comfortable navigating these hard to access locations so they make ideal volunteers to help us plan and carry out interventions in the area. Having said this, everyone is welcome to join and we hope to get a wide range of people excited about plants and other cliff-dwelling biodiversity!

Using a drone for cliff plant monitoring 

Current methods for monitoring these rare endemic species are very time consuming making it impractical to carry out population surveys with the accuracy and frequency needed to detect population trends and threats. Both species have a very narrow range but their habitat is very hard to access. 

If no other monitoring approach is used, we would have to invest substantial time in continuously monitoring these populations. Accurate population size estimates would require very thorough sampling using abseiling and rock climbing techniques. Other than being logistically complex, this type of survey would be intrusive and could inadvertently disturb the cliff ecosystem. 

To address this, we are using a drone to capture high resolution images which can later be processed to detect where the individuals of each species are present. After being validated and refined, we hope this approach will provide a reproducible and cost effective way to monitor the abundance and distribution of these rare species. 

We also aim to use the drone and photogrammetry software to create orthophotomaps of the areas where C. edulis is to be removed. The resulting maps will help to plan the removal events but, more importantly, they provide a baseline scenario for monitoring the impact of this intervention on native vegetation. By creating the same maps every year, we hope to capture the process of recolonization by native vegetation. These surveys may demonstrate the success of the intervention or a failure of native plants to recolonize the area which would suggest that assisted revegetation may be appropriate. Finally, we expect the maps will prove useful as a way of identifying C. edulis resprouts that could be missed otherwise.

The partnerships making this project possible

We are getting all kinds of partners together for this project. The local rock climbing community and the cavers from NECA (@neca.espeleologia.arrabida on Instagram) are contributing as volunteers with their local knowledge, sweat and hard work in our invasive plant removal events. 

Pix4D, a drone mapping software company, has kindly offered to sponsor our use of their software for this and other Mossy Earth projects. This is part of their ambition of using their technology to support nature conservation and restoration projects. 

The Portuguese Botanical Society is contributing with crucial plant science expertise and the local park authorities (ICNF) are helping ensure our efforts fit into the broader conservation strategy for this protected area. Finally, we have the support of the local municipality (Camara Municipal de Sesimbra) for logistical issues and to coordinate with their ongoing efforts to conserve the area's unique biodiversity. 

We Are Fighting Invasives To Save Rare Cliff Flowers - Project Vlog

To help save plant species that exist nowhere else on earth, we are working with volunteers from the rock climbing community to remove an invasive plant from sea cliffs in Portugal.

Saving Rare Sea Cliff Plants

Seaweeds are of immense value for marine ecosystems. Kelp, the largest of them all, form spectacular underwater forests that provide habitat for fish, clean the water and sequester carbon. Unfortunately, large swathes of these subaquatic forests have disappeared from the coast of many European countries. Although many factors appear to be contributing to this trend, there is still a lot we don’t know about the ecosystems engineered by seaweeds and this makes it difficult to carry out effective conservation and restoration work. We have partnered with SeaForester to make large scale restoration of seaweed forests along the coast of Portugal a reality. To start the process we are implementing a kelp restoration trial.

Kelp are large brown seaweeds belonging to the order Laminariales and are widely known for the impressive subaquatic forests that they form. In order to bring back these kelp forests to the areas from which they have disappeared it is important to test and refine available techniques. 

This project involves carrying out a trial to test the “spore bag” seeding technique to bring back golden kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca) to the coast of Cascais, Portugal where it used to be very abundant. Reproductive structures of the plant are collected from donor populations, placed in mesh bags and attached to the rocky reef identified for restoration. The idea is for the spores to be released from the reproductive structures, to settle on the underlying bedrock and create new patches of kelp forest.

Learn more about the context behind this project

The world’s shallow coastal areas, where sunlight penetrates, are the cradles of the ocean. Here seaweed forests grow supporting a rich and diverse assemblage of marine fauna and flora by providing highly productive three-dimensional habitats. In addition to reducing the loss of biodiversity in oceans, kelp forests also provide ecosystem services by reversing acidification, an important part of climate change mitigation.   

Unfortunately, European seaweed forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Although we lack the data to figure out the actual causes for this decline, these are likely to be important drivers in many areas:

Climate change affecting water temperatures

A build up of sediment as a result of both human and natural causes 

Increases in herbivory rates due to overfishing and its impact on coastal ecological communities

Unlike land-based deforestation which has received a lot of attention, the loss of marine forests tends to go mostly unnoticed. This may be due to the fact that the underwater-world is out of sight for most of us and its deterioration is therefore not as obvious. As result, there are still very few seaweed restoration projects in Europe and there is a great need to develop greater know-how in this area. This is where our partnership with SeaForester comes in to restore these 'forgotten forests'.

SeaForester is an initiative that aims to reverse the alarming disappearance of seaweed forests in the world in order to safeguard the oceans’ vital role of carbon sequestration, maintaining fish stocks and securing the planet’s wellbeing. Along the coastline of the municipality of Cascais they are pioneering the work to identify the reasons for the decline in seaweed populations and to test seeding techniques. Therefore this project will not be carried out in isolation but will be integrated with other efforts to restore the area with community involvement from Club Naval de Cascais (CNC).

Thanks to our members we are able to get this initial research project off the ground, where previously there's been difficulty securing funding. With this support, action-based research like this can snowball into large-scale restoration of kelp forests - our ultimate aim. 

Pioneering seaweed restoration work in Europe

Bringing back the Lost Kelp Forests of Europe - Project Vlog

Kelp restoration trial is a rewilding project designed to test the spore bag technique to bring back kelp to areas from which it has disappeared. 

Kelp Restoration Trial

Underwater forests are an immensely important ecosystem: they support biodiversity, improve water quality and sequester carbon. Despite their significance for marine life and the fight against climate change, the loss of kelp forests from coastlines worldwide has captured much less of the spotlight on deforestation.
This is why since 2020 we have been working with SeaForester to restore kelp forests in Portugal where large areas of kelp have disappeared. So far, reversing this trend has been difficult. One of the challenges is that restoration efforts tend to require extensive diving which quickly becomes costly and time-consuming.

However, we have renewed optimism through a new technique called “green gravel” that tackles this challenge making large-scale marine reforestation possible. It involves growing kelp attached to pebbles in a lab before deploying them at suitable locations in the ocean without the need for divers. For this project, we are building a kelp nursery that will allow us to test this method on a larger scale.

We built a kelp factory to rewild the ocean

Results of our first kelp restoration trial

Our ultimate goal is to make large scale restoration of kelp forests a reality in Portugal and our first step in this direction was the kelp restoration trial we started with SeaForester in Cascais in November 2020. We deployed spores from healthy kelp populations into 3 sites. The results so far suggest that this spore bag technique will not work in this area, possibly because of the presence of turf algae that outcompete the kelp for rock surface. Although we were disappointed with the result, the information we got out of the project is valuable and is already helping guide our next steps. 

Green gravel is a kelp restoration technique that was recently developed by the Norwegian Institute for Marine Research (IMR). It involves seeding pebbles with kelp in a lab, allowing the kelp to grow under optimal conditions and only then deploying them in the ocean. The potential is huge because this technique can overcome many of the challenges facing current kelp restoration methods. 

Since pebbles can just be dropped from a boat, large areas could be restored without the need for more costly and time-consuming scuba diving work. What’s more, since the kelp is already attached to a substrate (the pebbles) it may grow well even if the underlying reef is degraded and covered in turf algae. The technique worked well in turf-covered reefs in Norway so we hope it will also be useful in addressing this problem in the areas in Cascais where releasing kelps spores is not proving to be enough to bring the kelp back. 

The method is now being trialled in more than 10 locations across the world in a collaborative effort coordinated through the Green Gravel Action Group. In Portugal, the SeaForester team, including researchers from the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre - Politécnico de Leiria, have successfully used the technique in small scale trials. Individuals of the golden kelp, Laminaria Ochroleuca, have been successfully deployed on the ocean floor and have grown well over several months. This is very encouraging and means that we are ready for the next step!

Given the success of the initial trials in Peniche and the great potential of green gravel as a marine reforestation technique, we decided to scale things up. With the support of our Mossy Earth members as well as Not Just Travel, Get Set Hire, Unifrog and WSL Pure, we managed to get the funds needed to build a kelp nursery that will greatly increase the green gravel production capacity in Portugal.

This amounts to a total of 80 boxes which we are mounting in a shelf system which allows each of them to maintain about 200 to 400 pebbles under optimal conditions for the kelp to grow in the lab. Each box is illuminated by an LED light that switches on and off to simulate night and day cycles. Water flows through the boxes and is filtered and cooled so that it is kept suitable for kelp growth. 

Once it is built, the goal is to have the kelp nursery running year-round with a new batch of kelp pebbles being ready to deploy every 2 to 3 months. Each cycle begins by spraying the pebbles with microscopic immature life stages of the kelp which attach to the pebbles and start growing. To avoid the need to collect this starting material from wild populations every time we are also building a lab setup that allows us to keep a seedstock available year-round. This is a modified fridge contraption that allows the feedstock to be kept at the necessary light and temperature conditions. This makes it much faster and cost-efficient to start each production cycle because it is no longer necessary to find and collect material from wild kelp populations every time. 

Altogether this will allow the green gravel technique to be tested at a much larger scale in Portugal! 

Pictures from the construction and troubleshooting process

The world’s shallow coastal areas, where sunlight penetrates, are the cradles of the ocean. Here seaweed forests grow supporting a rich and diverse assemblage of marine fauna and flora by providing highly productive three-dimensional habitats. In addition to reducing the loss of biodiversity in oceans, kelp forests also provide ecosystem services by reversing acidification, an important part of climate change mitigation.

A build-up of sediment as a result of both human and natural causes

Unlike land-based deforestation which has received a lot of attention, the loss of marine forests tends to go mostly unnoticed. This may be due to the fact that the underwater world is out of sight for most of us and its deterioration is therefore not as obvious. As result, there are still very few seaweed restoration projects in Europe and there is a great need to develop greater know-how in this area. This is where our partnership with SeaForester comes in to restore these 'forgotten forests'. SeaForester is an initiative that aims to reverse the alarming disappearance of seaweed forests in the world in order to safeguard the oceans’ vital role of carbon sequestration, maintaining fish stocks and securing the planet’s wellbeing. By joining forces with them in Portugal, we aim to make the large-scale restoration of kelp forests a reality here.  

Learn how we are building a kelp nursery that will make it possible for an innovative marine reforestation technique to be tested at scale in Portugal.

Scaling up kelp forest restoration

By building a kelp nursery and testing an innovative technique at scale 

Four species of snail thought to be extinct have been found on a small Atlantic island. After more than 100 years without a confirmed observation, the species were rediscovered on Deserta Grande by the local conservationists at IFCN. Their only home and habitat had been devastated by invasive species so their reappearance comes as a very pleasant surprise.

However, initial estimates of their numbers (less than 50) suggest they may be on the verge of extinction. 

For this project, we have joined a hopeful rescue operation led by the IFCN that aims to ensure the long term survival of these species. 

The plan involves starting a captive breeding programme in collaboration with Chester Zoo and Bristol Zoo to boost snail numbers. But the first step of finding enough individuals of these endangered animals, perched on this rugged and remote island, was no easy feat. This is why we sent Tiago, one of our adventurous conservation biologists, to navigate the perilous rocky terrain and help with the expedition work. 

Once there are enough snails in captivity, we’ll be exploring the possibility of reintroducing them onto an adjacent island where the fossil record suggests the species used to be abundant and where the habitat is recovering following the eradication of invasive species.

For this project we are contributing to the fieldwork required to prevent the extinction of four species of snail that are endemic to Deserta grande, an island of the Madeira archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. All four species are deemed critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.

The main threat for these snails have been the invasive species that have raised havoc on the island’s fragile ecosystem after being introduced by humans settlers. Goats have proliferated and decimated the native vegetation and accelerated soil erosion. While direct threats come from mice, who feed on the snails and the seeds of native plants. 

This rescue operation involves multiple expeditions to:

collect enough individuals from each species to start a captive breeding programme, 

monitor the remaining populations to obtain more accurate estimates of population size, population trends and threats,

collect field environmental data to inform the conditions for captive breeding and the search for suitable reintroduction sites.

Each expedition entails some complicated boat disembarkation, strenuous hikes over steep terrain and long hours spent searching for snails under rocks and vegetation. Tiago, one of our Conservation biologists is joining these efforts to help with the surveys, to carry out the drone mapping and to document the expeditions. With the help of our members we have also been able to fund essential equipment to continue the fieldwork including items such as:

data loggers and sensors to monitor environmental conditions at the sites of the last remaining populations,

sieves for more effective sampling of soil and soil dwelling animals,

tagging materials to be used for population monitoring.

The short-term goal of the rescue operation is to prevent the imminent extinction of these unique species. The long-term goal is to boost snail numbers and carry out reintroductions in suitable locations where the original threats have been dealt with and where the snails can thrive without further intervention. The project should also provide an example for future snail conservation work, which is much needed around the world right now. 

Sadly, these special species are going extinct and not at a snail’s pace, quite the opposite.

Although many people feel sad and worried about the news that we are at the start of a human induced mass extinction, few have a clear picture of what species we are actually losing. If you look at all the recorded animal extinctions since the year 1500 you will find that 40% of them are land or freshwater snail species and most have occurred on oceanic islands. We find this astonishing and alarming!

Two main factors are thought to explain this:

Many oceanic snail species have very narrow ranges and even small amounts of habitat loss or degradation can tip them to extinction.

Most of these species had evolved under low predation pressure so were susceptible to being wiped out by invasive species for which they had evolved no defence mechanisms.

Although snails may not receive the same attention as charismatic birds or mammals, they are unique and have their own evolutionary history and adaptations that are worth protecting. 

Land snails are also valuable for a few other reasons. By feeding on dead vegetation they help with nutrient cycling and maintaining soil fertility and they also provide food for other small animals. Some species are fairly sensitive to habitat degradation so can be useful as bioindicator species serving as an early warning system for the ecosystem. 

Finally, because of their limited dispersal ability and high species diversity they are a great study subject to understand:

Snails can also be identified from their shells after death and in the fossil record making them particularly suitable subjects for this interesting and consequential area of research.

The Madeira archipelago is a hotspot for snail biodiversity

The situation in Madeira is fairly representative of the problems facing the land snails of oceanic islands worldwide. There are close to 320 known species of land snail in the archipelago of Madeira making it a snail biodiversity hotspot. Approximately 80% of these are endemic meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. On Deserta grande, the island we are focusing on for this project, there are 

Lazarus taxa species rediscovered out of extinction

Lazarus taxa species are those that were rediscovered after they were thought to be extinct. For years, Isamberto Silva and Dinarte Teixeira from the IFCN had seen the fossils of these four species throughout the island. For them, finally seeing a live specimen after only finding their fossils was like seeing a dinosaur in the flesh having only imagined their colors, anatomy and behaviour. Initial population estimates suggested there may be less than 50 individuals left of each species so it became clear that a rescue operation was needed. 

Once again we thank our members for supporting projects like this one. Every Mossy Earth member is helping to restore neglected species, such as these snails, whose current state is a shell of their former self.

Have a look at some of the dramatic landscapes we crossed over land and sea during this snail rescue operation.

This snail species rescue operation is led by Dinarte Teixeira, the Malacologist at IFCN who sounded the alarm about these species. The captive breeding programme is led by Chester Zoo and Bristol Zoo Gardens. The project is also integrated into a broader conservation strategy of the IUCN’S Mid Atlantic Islands Species Specialist Group.

Searching for Extinct Species on a Deserted Island

The survival of four Atlantic snails is hinging on the combined conservation efforts to save them. Follow our expedition to rescue these unique yet fragile species.

An Expedition to Rescue Crictically Endangered Snails

Preventing snail extinctions on a small remote island

The tropical forests of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe provide habitat for a host of species found nowhere else on earth. Among them is a peculiar forest giant, the Obô Giant Snail. Although it used to be locally abundant it is now threatened with extinction due to habitat degradation, overharvesting, predation by invasive species and the spread of a mysterious disease. This project focuses on the conservation of this extraordinary species by carrying out important fieldwork and research, and by helping to maintain a conservation centre for the species.

Before we get into explaining the project let us introduce you to some facts about the Obô Giant Snail:

It's shell can grow to a stupendous size of 15.67 cm! Comparable to croissants!

It feeds on a wide variety of fallen fruits and leaves, helping out in the decomposition process.

Unlike most snails it is largely diurnal (active during the day).

It is a species of cultural significance for local people being used as food and medicine.

One of the key parts of the project was to support the maintenance of a conservation centre for the species at Jardim Botânico do Bom Sucesso on São Tomé Island. By monitoring growth and reproduction the centre serves as a way to learn more about the biology of the species. The goal is to help guide future conservation and captive reproduction efforts. The centre also serves as a way to spread awareness about the species and its main threats as it is easily accessible at the botanical gardens. Mossy Earth members have helped to support the staff time and materials needed to run this small conservation centre for 6 months. A lot of work had been put into getting the facilities up and running and this helped ensure the continuity of these efforts. 

One of the challenges of protecting these snails is uncertainty around the threats they are facing and how populations are doing. This is especially true for the more remote and pristine parts of the forest which is increasingly becoming the place where you can still find them sliming about. Any misunderstanding of the situation in these areas could lead to conservations decisions that are ineffective. To address this knowledge gap, the more remote areas of Parque Natural do Principe are being surveyed. The forest is explored through systematic transects where the team monitors for the presence of snails and assesses the extent of threats including:

Presence of nonnative mammals (wild pigs, rats, cats, dogs, genets, monkeys)

Presence of the non-native West African giant snail (Archachatina marginata) 

The team also look for evidence of disease in the individuals they find and collect samples of affected individuals to be sent for lab examination. 

The last part of the project involves gathering and processing genetic information to help determine conservation priorities. Small non-lethal tissue samples were taken from 70 individuals between 2018 and 2021. Genetic material (DNA) was extracted from each sample and sequenced, providing us with a lot of genetic information about individuals sampled from different locations. By processing this data we hope to obtain a better understanding of the migration history of the Obô giant snail across the two islands. The data can also tell us about what areas harbour the most genetic diversity and help us understand if there are barriers between different populations that are isolating them from each other. 

As is often done with other species, these insights can then be used to establish conservation priorities. This information may, for example, help us understand how best to preserve genetic diversity which is important for ensuring the species can continue thriving as its environment changes.  

Learn more about the context behind this project 

São Tomé and Príncipe is an archipelago nation located just above the equator and off the west African coast. Its tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse and threatened in the world and this is true not only for the birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants but also for the smaller and more slimy terrestrial molluscs that can go unnoticed. The islands are home to about 86 species of land snail and slug, 64% of which are found nowhere else on the planet.

Worrying declines for the Obô Giant Snail

Although we do not know how many snails there are left in the wild, we have enough data to know that there are real causes for concern. Based on interviews with local people and field observation, the range of the Obô giant snail is estimated to have declined by 40% on the island of Principe and 50% on the island of São Tomé. The species conservation was last assessed in 1996 and was then listed as Vulnerable. Its status is currently under revision based on the latest data and it is likely to be updated to Endangered. 

One of the threats for the species is the probable occurrence of a mysterious disease that has spread across wild and ex-situ populations and affected the species’ survival. Forest loss and degradation are reducing the amount of suitable habitat for the species while creating good conditions for the establishment of the invasive West African giant land snail, which was also implied in the decline of the Obô giant snail. Over-harvesting can reduce numbers even further in some places. Finally, non-native mammals such as wild pigs, rats, cats, dogs, genets and monkeys may be feeding on the species although further data is needed to understand the extent of this threat. 

1.	Many oceanic snail species have very narrow ranges and even small amounts of habitat loss or degradation can tip them to extinction.

2.	Most of these species had evolved under low predation pressure so were susceptible to being wiped out by invasive species for which they had evolved no defense mechanisms.

Although snails may not receive the same attention as charismatic birds or mammals, they are unique and have their own evolutionary history and adaptations that are worth protecting. 

Land snails are also valuable for a few other reasons. By feeding on dead vegetation they help with nutrient cycling and maintaining soil fertility and they also provide food for other small animals. Some species are fairly sensitive to habitat degradation so can be useful as bioindicator species serving as an early warning system for the ecosystem. 

Snails can also be identified from their shells after death and in the fossil record making them particularly suitable subjects for this interesting and consequential area of research

For this project Mossy Earth members have funded the actions that were identified as being a priority in the Obô Giant Snail single species action plan. This is a document that is created following a protocol established by the IUCN that aims to assess what conservation actions have the highest priority based on including all relevant voices in the process. With the support of our members we are translating this plan into action and helping to ensure these gentle giants will keep roaming the Forests of Sao Tomé and Principe well into the future. 

To implement these activities we rely on our partner for this project: Fundação Principe, Forest Giants Project, Alisei Onlus NGO, Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon (Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes – cE3c; Computational Biology and Population Genomics – CoBiG2).

The Tropical Giant on the Brink of Extinction

We are working to help protect the endangered Obô giant snail of São Tomé and Príncipe as part of our efforts to help the species that tend to be neglected. 

Helping forest giants

In Croatia, there is a huge network of submerged caves that is recognized as a global hotspot for subterranean biodiversity. The animals that have adapted to live in this underground world are unlike anything you may find above the surface. For centuries, waste has been dumped into some of these caves, seriously threatening its precious inhabitants and contaminating an important source of drinking water. Our goal is to start reversing the damage and safeguard the future of these unique species, as well as prevent further contamination. Partnering with expert cave biologists and cave divers from the Croatian Institute for Biodiversity, we will undertake a two-part operation to remove the most dangerous materials. Find out more on why we are doing this to save miraculous animals like the olm. 

Diving deep into caves to remove 100 years of trash

Arrive at the site of this project before it started getting cleaned up and it’s easy to imagine you’ve deliriously found yourself in the aftermath of a tsunami. The shocking scene of waste and scrap that was tangled and stacked formed a mountain of waste at the cave’s mouth. The history of this site and how it came to accumulate about 16 cubic m3 of solid waste, is a familiar one of neglect of the natural world. Rummage through the mess and you would find an assortment of modern society’s mark: plastics, metals, rubber, wood, and domestic appliances. 

Although such scenes in any natural area would provide a compelling reason to act, there are few places where a clean up seemed to be as urgent because this cave provides habitat for an array of very unique and threatened species. The first part of the clean up was carried out over recent years by local cavers who managed to remove most of the waste that lies above the water level. However, large amounts of dangerous waste remained, especially in the underwater section which is where most of the cave animals are found.  Due to the difficulty of removing waste from this place and to the lack of funding for this kind of work, the water inside the cave was poised to continue being polluted if we didn't intervene. 

To remove waste from the dry part of the cave we relied on the help of local cavers who set up an efficient way of getting the waste out of the cave using a set up of ropes and winches.  For submerged waste, a more complex operation involving cave divers was required to bring these large objects to the surface. 

Much has already been done by these cavers and cave divers to reach the point where this intervention was possible. By researching and monitoring this and other caves in the region they have acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience which, together with their passion to protect the unexplored underworld, were central to the success of this project. 

As Mossy Earth Members you will be supporting the teams of volunteer cavers and cave divers by 

paying for their food and transport and

Given the amount of waste, the intervention is likely to take several days. Even so, it is unlikely that we will be able to remove all the waste in which case the objects deemed more likely to be contaminating will be removed first. Once removed, the waste will be transported to an appropriate recycling plant by truck.

Sir David Attenborough in Attenborough's Story of Life, BBC Earth

The olm is reliant on clean pure water and water pollution is one of its main threats

The Dinaric arc is a cave biodiversity hotspot

The Dinaric arc in South-Eastern Europe is a region characterised by stunning landscapes, from impressive mountain peaks to cascading turquoise waterfalls and a wild Mediterranean coast. Easier to miss however is the fact that this region hosts the largest network of subterranean rivers in Europe and that it is a global hotspot for cave biodiversity. Because it is difficult for cave-adapted animals to move between caves many species have a very narrow distribution and some exist only in a single cave. This is just one of the highlights of a hidden world that deserves to be uncovered and valued instead of disregarded.

The Rupečica-Šmitovo cave system, which is the one we are focusing on, provides habitat for some remarkably interesting species. The olm is probably the most famous among them. It’s a blind cave salamander that can live up to a century and survive for a decade without feeding. It is among the most evolutionarily distinct amphibians known to science meaning that there is nothing else like it on earth. It is also one of the 10 species that David Attenborough would select to be saved from extinction if he had to choose. Another interesting species found here is the Croatian dace a small freshwater fish species that rely on this habitat to sustain its last remaining population. And a final species that needs mentioning is the Ogulin cave sponge. This is the world’s only known species of cave-dwelling freshwater sponge and it is known only from a few caves around this area. The importance of saving such species can be likened to our own survival, a more diverse world is a more adaptable one. By protecting all evolutions on the tree of life, we increase our chances of one day benefiting from their distinctiveness.   

The current situation is grave: the entire community of organisms in this cave is under threat. This is especially concerning if we consider that many of them are at considerable risk of global extinction. 

The olm, Proteus anguinus, is classified as vulnerable to extinction, mainly due to the threat posed by water pollution and cave habitat degradation throughout its range 

The Croatian dace, Telestes polylepis, is classified as critically endangered and appears to be on the verge of extinction with the last small population found inside this cave. 

The cave sponge, Eunapius subterraneus, was previously classified as endangered and exists only in this part of Croatia but more data is needed about its conservation status. 

The lack of awareness of this cave’s (and many others) wonderful and rich biodiversity, has sadly meant local people have treated it as a waste disposal site for centuries. Without this intervention, toxic chemicals will continue to degrade water quality and once these chemicals enter the cave system through the water they can no longer be physically removed and may continue affecting the ecosystem for a long time. On top of this, the submerged caves in this region provide drinking water for the surrounding area and if they continue being contaminated this could end up having negative health consequences. 

Waste collection in this part of Coratia has already improved to the point where it is more convenient to dispose of these items appropriately than to throw them into the cave pit. Therefore we expect that the cave will be cleaned up for good and that the positive impact will be felt over the long term. Nonetheless, we plan to monitor the cave periodically to confirm if this is the case or if additional measures are needed. 

If the world of cave biology intrigues you and you haven’t yet read our article about cave dwelling animals you should check it out! 

If you want to learn more about the backstory of why we think it is important to protect bizarre creatures like the olm you can listen to our podcast episode about Mossy Earth’s “Ugly ones” programme.

The "Ugly" ones rewilding programme | Project notes #1

We are removing toxic waste from a cave in Croatia to help unique animals such as the olm. 

Cave clean up

Removing toxic waste to help unique creatures of the underworld 

Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula) is a keystone species that is largely missing from Scottish woodlands today. In Europe, its often found alongside birch, rowan, willow, and alder in the broadleaf component of northern coniferous forests. Together, they can occupy around 15-20% of the forest. In Scotland, aspen mostly exists as small, isolated fragments often consisting of single relict trees. To restore the natural diversity of the native pinewoods and return aspen to the landscape, we are embarking on a long-term project to plant and support the natural regeneration of aspen trees in Scotland.

Bringing Back the Lost Aspen Forests of Scotland

Beginning in Spring 2021, we are launching an ambitious project to plant and protect 10,000 aspen trees over the next 5 years. We are planting open areas with trees grown in nurseries and trialling different techniques to protect naturally regenerating aspen from deer browsing e.g. planting thorny shrubs. We will focus our efforts in riparian areas where aspen play an important role in stabilising the river bank, creating shade and providing nutrients in the form of leaf fall. In doing so, we will help sequester carbon, create important woodland habitat and improve the health of Scotland's rivers. 

A collection of photos from our Restoring Aspen project

Aspen is considered to be a keystone species because of its ecological importance for other species. It provides vital habitat for a number of invertebrates, including aspen hoverfly (Hammerschmidtia ferruginea), an endangered species in the UK, as well as a diversity of lichen and bryophytes. Aspen is an important source of food for wildlife like, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), and provides important nesting sites for several species of hole nesting birds, including various species of woodpeckers. In Europe, aspen stands have been shown to be used by capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), another endangered species in Britain and of great conservation concern. 

Historical management of Scotland’s woodlands for timber meant that non-useful trees, like aspen, were removed. This, coupled with the fact that aspen is one of the most palatable trees to deer and other herbivores, has reduced aspen in Scotland to small isolated fragments.  High densities of deer are now limiting the regeneration and return of aspen to the Scottish landscape. Aspen also rarely produces seeds in Scotland, reproducing mainly by new shoots, called ramets or suckers, growing directly from the root systems of mature trees. As a result, once aspen is removed from a site, it is very slow to colonise. 

We are restoring Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula) to the Scottish Highlands in partnership with Alladale Wilderness Reserve. Learn why aspen is important to protect.

Restoration of Eurasian aspen trees

Returning a Keystone Tree to the Scottish Highlands

In early 2021, we partnered with Oana Namibia to fund a native plant nursery to support future large-scale reforestation and reforestation efforts. Oana is located in Southern Namibia, where the landscape is characterised by open desert shrubland interspersed by mountainous terrain, wooded ephemeral (intermittent water) and perennial (constant water) river beds, and grassy sand and gravel plains. These habitats are threatened by overgrazing, the spread of non-native Prosopis spp., climate change and erosion. Oana has already made great progress in clearing large areas of Prosopis and will soon be able to start restoring the river beds as well as the grassland ecosystem through planting. 

Rewilding the Namibian Deep South

The funding from this project will cover the main supplies needed to build a 300 m2 nursery. This nursery will supply the seedlings and saplings of native trees and grasses for future planting and restoration, and house native succulents, like elephant’s trunk (Pachypodium namaquanum) and quiver tree (Aloidendron dichotomum), in case of local extinctions. The funding will enable Oana to purchase the shade cover, seed house, irrigation system and planting equipment (pots, secateurs, buckets etc.). 

The river beds of Oana and the surrounding areas act as islands of fertility in an otherwise dry, desert habitat. Camel thorn or giraffe thorn (Vacheillia erioloba) is one of only a few tree species native to the area and is considered to be a keystone species while the sandy plains are home to species of Eragrostis, Stipagrostis and Schmidtia grasses, which provide food for the local wildlife and shelter for small animals.

Across much of the landscape, overgrazing by domestic livestock is threatening the little vegetation that is capable of surviving in this harsh landscape. The fertile woodlands vital for many species are threatened by the spread of non-native Prosopis, introduced to the area to provide shade and livestock fodder, which increases desertification, outcompetes native flora and ultimately overtakes and homogenizes the river beds. Meanwhile, the grasses of the sandy plains have been overgrazed and left vulnerable to erosion. With climate change likely to increase the frequency of climatic extremes and rainfall, this is likely to become an even bigger problem in the future. 

This project would fund the construction of a local nursery to provide seedlings and saplings of native trees and grasses for future planting and restoration.

Building A Tree Nursery

Preparing For Future Reforestation and Habitat Restoration

In Namibia, the region we are working in was once home to three species of vulture that are now locally extinct. The cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres), lappet faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) and white backed vulture (Gyps africanus) are globally endangered, with the latter being critically endangered, as a result of serious anthropogenic threats, including poisoning through contaminated livestock and a lack of wild prey. To provide a safe and reliable source of food and encourage the return of these magnificent and ecologically important species, we are supporting our partners Oana, to establish a 'vulture restaurant'. This means we are providing a reliable and clean source of food for them. Over time, we hope this will encourage these species to reclaim their former haunts, to safeguard the future of these endangered species and restore a vital ecosystem service to the landscape. It would also provide significant ecotourism potential for Oana to continue to restore and rewild the Namibian landscape. This project is supported by our wonderful business partners Inlumi. 

Rewilding

How it works

Restoring Wetlands

Saving Rare Sea Cliff Plants

Kelp Restoration Trial

Scaling up kelp forest restoration

Snail Species Rescue

Helping forest giants

Rewilding:

An introduction