Tortoises return to Espanola

[Catherine]

Humans almost wiped out the tortoises on Espanola.
There were 8,000 tortoises before humans arrived. By the 1970s there were 14 tortoises left.
It has taken work to increase their numbers. Much of the credit goes to Diego who fathered hundreds of children.
Those children are restoring the ecology of the island. Tortoises control the vegetation by eating it and they create the open spaces that other animals need. 
They spread seeds by eating them and pooping them out somewhere else. Tortoises are able to carry seeds up the mountain. That is something plants can't do. The tortoises basically control and shape the habitat where they live. Returning the tortoises is returning the habitat.


https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240...e-galpagos

The tortoises are doing a remarkable job. However, it will be a slow process. Many years will pass before the ecosystem is healthy and thriving.
It took years to mess it up, so it will take years to fix it. The important thing is that the restoration process has been started.