Listen: Conservation trouble in paradise

With pristine beaches, rolling hills and turquoise waters, the U.S. Virgin Islands is a picture of paradise. But their name and the beautiful landscape disguise the fact that some of the islands that make up the U.S. territory, like St. Croix, have experienced massive ecological change over the past few centuries. Invasive species like feral cats (Felis catus), small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) and a number of introduced plants have driven many of St. Croix’s endemic species to extinction while others are barely hanging on. But some wildlife managers are working hard to turn back the destructive tide born from a legacy of colonialism.

The latest episode of “Our Wild Lives” opens a special new subseries called “Wild Work” that features on-the-ground reporting from The Wildlife Society’s news team. In this episode, associate editor Joshua Rapp Learn takes host Katie Perkins to St. Croix where he tracked an endangered lizard and explored habitat restoration programs.

Learn speaks with Nicole Angeli, director of the USVI Division of Fish and Wildlife; Jennifer Valiulis, executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association; Olasee Davis, an assistant professor in the School of Agriculture at the University of the Virgin Islands; and Yaira Ortiz, an undergraduate student finishing her degree at the University of Miami who volunteers to survey endangered wildlife.

This episode features some of the field reporting Learn conducted to produce the feature article “Isolated and Imperiled: The Challenges of Conservation in an Offshore U.S. Territory,” in the November/December issue of The Wildlife Professional.

“Our Wild Lives” is The Wildlife Society’s weekly podcast, sharing compelling stories from wildlife professionals doing critical work around the world. Your hosts, Katie Perkins and Ed Arnett of The Wildlife Society, bring you thought-provoking conversations with leading experts and emerging voices.

New episodes are released weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Please email comms@wildlife.org with feedback or future episode suggestions.