Carl G. Jones

Last updated

Carl Gwynfe Jones
MBE
Born (1954-06-20) 20 June 1954 (age 68)
Carmarthen, Wales, United Kingdom
Alma mater University of Wales, Swansea
Known forRestoration and conservation of Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, Mauritius parakeet, Mauritius olive white-eye, Rodrigues fody, Rodrigues flying fox.
Spouse(s)Paula Senior
Children2
Awards MBE (2004)
Indianapolis Prize (2016)

Carl Gwynfe Jones, MBE (born 20 June 1954) is a Welsh conservation biologist, who has been employed by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1985, and a founding member (1984) and current scientific director of Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF). [1] Additionally he is Chief Scientist at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, [2] and an honorary professor in ecology and conservation biology at the University of East Anglia. [3] Often outspoken on the importance of knowing your species and using intuition, empathy and practical knowledge over dogmatic education, Jones is best known for his work in recovering the Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus) from just four individuals in 1974, to an estimated 400. [4] Working in the Mascarene Islands since 1979, Jones has led five successful bird restoration projects where the starting population has numbered less than 12 individuals; as a consequence Mauritius has averted more bird extinctions than any other country. [5] Jones has pioneered the use of ecological or taxon replacements to fill the ecological roles of extinct animals [6] and successfully restored levels of endemic vegetation to previously denuded islets. Jones' work has been highlighted in Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine's 1990 radio documentary Last Chance to See , along with its accompanying book, [7] as well as David Quammen's 1996 book The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions.

Contents

Early life

Jones was born in Carmarthen, Wales in 1954. During his youth he was fascinated with animals, and bred kestrels in his back yard. [8] He credits both his initial excitement and subsequent success in restoring the Mauritius kestrel to the experience gathered during this time. Speaking of his decision to pursue conservation as a career, Jones has stated:

I have always known what I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I wanted to work with wildlife, to visit remote areas and to contribute to the conservation of the most endangered species. But dreaming is not enough and I realised that I needed some higher qualifications. [9]

Subsequently, he has spent his career conserving and studying species and systems and helping others to become conservation biologists.

Education

Carl went to Queen Elizabeth I Grammar School for boys, Carmarthen. He did his BSc at the North-East London Polytechnic. In 1978 Jones began his master's degree at University of Wales, Swansea. Initially studying developmental strategies in owls, the opportunity to run the conservation project in Mauritius saw him change the title of his research to "Studies on the Biology of the Critically Endangered Birds of Mauritius" [9] From these studies he began to formulate a strategy to conserve the most endangered avifauna in his project region. After completing his MSc, he completed a PhD, also at Swansea, studying the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri).

Mauritius and Mascarene Islands

Jones started working in Mauritius in 1979, whilst working for the International Council for Bird Preservation (now known as Birdlife International). Upon arrival, Jones' focus was to run and establish the captive breeding project and to work on the conservation of the most threatened species in the wild. Carl worked on the pink pigeon and the Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus), which was considered the world's rarest bird. The species had reached an all-time low in 1974 with only four known wild birds. [10] Despite the prevailing opinion that F. punctatus was doomed to extinction, he took over the recovery project that had been initiated in 1973 [11] and began to implement captive breeding techniques such as "double-clutching", which is the removal of the first clutch of eggs (for captive rearing) which encourages the birds to lay a second clutch, thereby increasing the fecundity of breeding pairs, along with dietary supplementation for parents, fostering of captive reared young to wild pairs and hacking of captive raised birds to ensure maximum recruitment of juvenile birds. Between 1983 and 1993, 333 Mauritius kestrels had been reared, a third of these were captive bred and the remainder were derived from wild harvested eggs, most of these were returned to the wild. The Mauritius kestrel has subsequently been down-listed from Critically Endangered in the late 1970s, to Endangered in 1994 and Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List by 2000. [4]

During the 1970s, the Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula echo), the only surviving parrot species endemic to Mauritius and the Mascarenes, had suffered huge losses due to competing invasive species, predation from introduced mammals and loss of native trees in which to nest. By the early 1980s there were thought to be around 10 Mauritius parakeets left, with precious little recruitment throughout the decade. Whilst speaking at a 1990 captive breeding conference, Jones told delegates that the echo parakeet had a perilously low population and would likely become extinct, not for lack of expertise, but because attempts at gaining funding for the necessary actions had been fruitless. Mike Reynolds of the Parrot Trust approached Jones after the presentation, and the resultant collaboration brought much needed funds and veterinary expertise to the assistance of the species restoration project. [12] Under Jones' guidance, nest boxes were placed in the forest, treatments to dissuade tropical nest flies from attacking the young in the nest and supplementary feeding for breeding pairs, and by 2005, 139 birds had been released. By 2015, there was a population of about 650 birds, and the species had been down-listed from Critically endangered to Endangered in 2007. [13]

Further species restoration work was undertaken with the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri), of which the population had declined to just 10 individuals by 1990. [14] Population estimates of about 400 birds in seven subpopulations (six in the national park and one on Ile aux Aigrettes) in 2015 have resulted from Jones' leadership in the intervention, following similar methods to the Mauritius kestrel project. [15]

Jones' work in Mauritius has always been in co-operation with the Government and he has had a close involvement with the development of their protected area network and the formation of their conservation department, the National Parks and Conservation Service. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and the National Parks and Conservation Service have grown in parallel and work jointly on several conservation initiatives including the running of Round Island and the species restoration projects.

Restoration of island ecosystems

As well as the many successes with bird species and helping establish Mauritius' first National Park, Jones has been instrumental in restoring the animal and plant communities on islands around Mauritius and Rodrigues that had been left denuded and barren by decades of exposure to invasive non-native mammals, such as goats, rabbits, hares, cats and rats. Recognising that the native, endemic reptiles – some of which having already become extinct – were important ecological components, as well as evolutionarily distinct animals, Jones, the late Gerald Durrell, and John Hartley (who managed overseas projects for the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust), initiated an effort to rebuild entire eco-systems, beginning with removing alien invasive species from Round Island [16]

Work to restore nine highly degraded Mascarene off-shore islands is underway (in Mauritius: Round Island, Ile aux Aigrettes, Flat Island, Ile aux Gabrielle, Gunner's Quoin, Ile de la Passe and Ile Fouquet; in Rodrigues: Ile Cocos and Ile aux Sables). This has involved a major programme of invasive species eradication and control in partnership with the Mauritian government, including the removal of 11 exotic vertebrates and invertebrates from multiple islands.

The jewel in the crown of this programme is Round Island, one of the world's most important and long-standing island restoration projects. For over 30 years, work to remove invasive mammals and plants has been carried out, combined with the re-establishment of native plant species, regeneration of stands of hardwood trees and the introduction of an ecological replacement keystone species to restore lost ecological functions. [17]

Association with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

A follower, since childhood, of the work of Gerald Durrell, he first visited the Jersey Zoo in 1967. When he went to Mauritius in 1979 he worked closely with the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (now Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) and came into their employ in 1985, and continues to oversee the Trust's efforts in the Mascarenes. He is their Chief Scientist and a "thought leader" influencing many aspects of the Trust's work in both Jersey and elsewhere. He regularly lectures and teaches conservation theory, case studies and practical skills to students at Durrell Conservation Academy (formerly the International Training Centre), where his classes are prized for their humorous delivery and demonstrable field knowledge. [18]

Jones has also taught students in Mauritius, Seychelles, St Lucia, Jersey, Galapagos, Guam, Fiji, Philippines and the United States.

Awards and Indianapolis Prize nominations

In 1985, Carl was presented with the Ridder of the Golden Ark, by Prince Bernard of the Netherlands, in recognition of conservation achievements on Mauritius. He was nominated by Sir Peter Scott. In 1998, Jones was the first ever recipient of the Carolina Medal given by the World Parrot Trust for "outstanding achievement in parrot conservation" for the work on the Echo Parakeet. In the New Year's Honours list of 2004, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for the conservation of endangered species on Mauritius. [19]

Jones has been nominated for the Indianapolis Prize, in 2012, [20] 2014 and again in 2016. His co-nominees for this prize, which celebrates true heroes in the field of conservation, include Russell Mittermeier of Conservation International and Joel Berger of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Jones was a finalist 2012, 2014 and in 2016. And in 2016 he won it indeed. [21]

Related Research Articles

Gerald Durrell British naturalist, writer and television presenter (1925–1995)

Gerald Malcolm Durrell, was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1959. He wrote approximately forty books, mainly about his life as an animal collector and enthusiast, the most famous being My Family and Other Animals (1956). Those memoirs of his family's years living in Greece were adapted into two television series and one television film. He was the youngest brother of novelist Lawrence Durrell.

Mascarene Islands Archipelago east of Madagascar

The Mascarene Islands or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their name derives from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The islands share a common geologic origin in the volcanism of the Réunion hotspot beneath the Mascarene Plateau and form a distinct ecoregion with a unique flora and fauna.

Indian Ocean kestrels Group of birds

Isolated on various islands around the Indian Ocean, kestrel populations evolved into different species, like Darwin's finches. Behaviour remains similar to other small species of Falco except on (originally) forested Mauritius where kestrels hunt arboreally more like hawks. Due to the scarcity of mammals on oceanic islands, several species have adopted a diet containing many Phelsuma and other geckos. The species can be distinguished by coloration, but all except the banded kestrel share rich brown wings with black spotting. Sexes are alike in color except in the spotted kestrel, where differences are minor. As usual in birds of prey, females are larger than males; considerably so in some of these species as this assists resource partitioning.

Echo parakeet Species of parrot endemic to Mauritius

The echo parakeet is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and formerly Réunion. It is the only living native parrot of the Mascarene Islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. Two subspecies have been recognised, the extinct Réunion parakeet and the living echo parakeet, sometimes known as the Mauritius parakeet. The relationship between the two populations was historically unclear, but a 2015 DNA study determined them to be subspecies of the same species by comparing the DNA of echo parakeets with a single skin thought to be from a Réunion parakeet, but it has also been suggested they did not constitute different subspecies. As it was named first, the binomial name of the Réunion parakeet is used for the species; the Réunion subspecies thereby became P. eques eques, while the Mauritius subspecies became P. eques echo. Their closest relative was the extinct Newton's parakeet of Rodrigues, and the three are grouped among the subspecies of the rose-ringed parakeet of Asia and Africa.

Mauritius fody Species of bird

The Mauritius fody is a rare species of bird in the weaver family. It is endemic to the island of Mauritius. It is classified by BirdLife International as being endangered. It is also on the United States' Endangered Species List with an endangered status.

Pink pigeon Species of bird

The pink pigeon is a species of pigeon in the family Columbidae endemic to Mauritius. The pink pigeon nearly became extinct in the 1970s and the 1990s and is still very rare. It is the only Mascarene pigeon that has not gone extinct. It was on the brink of extinction in 1991 when only 10 individuals remained, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977. While the population remains at below 500 birds as of 2011, the IUCN downlisted the species from Critically endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2000, and then downlisted it again to Vulnerable in 2018.

Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Non-profit conservation agency in Mauritius

The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) is a non-governmental, non-profit conservation agency working in Mauritius to save threatened endemic local flora and fauna.

The Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary founded in 1984, in Western Mauritius. It is an area closed off to the public, in the Black River Gorge region, which is densely forested, and is used for breeding rare, endemic Mauritian species. Among the endangered species in the sanctuary is the Mauritius kestrel, once the rarest bird in the world with only 4 members left. It has been successfully bred and the population has now reached the capacity of Mauritius.

Broad-billed parrot Large extinct parrot endemic to Mauritius

The broad-billed parrot or raven parrot is a large extinct parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It is unclear what other species it is most closely related to, but it has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other Mascarene parrots. It had similarities with the Rodrigues parrot, and may have been closely related.

Seychelles parakeet Extinct species of bird that was endemic to the Seychelles

The Seychelles parakeet or Seychelles Island parrot is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. It was scientifically named Palaeornis wardi by the British ornithologist Edward Newton in 1867, and the specific name honours the British civil commissioner Swinburne Ward who procured the specimens that formed the basis for the description. It was found on the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, and possibly Praslin. Ten skin specimens exist today, but no skeletons. Though it was later moved to the genus Psittacula, genetic studies have led some researchers to suggest it should belong in a reinstated Palaeornis along with the closely related Alexandrine parakeet of Asia.

Île Ronde, Mauritius

Round Island is an uninhabited islet 22.5 kilometres north of Mauritius. It has an area of 1.69 square kilometres and a maximum elevation of 280 metres. The island has been a nature reserve since 1957 and is administered jointly by the National Parks and Conservation Service and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.

Mascarene parrot Extinct species of bird from Réunion

The Mascarene parrot or mascarin is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. The taxonomic relationships of this species have been subject to debate; it has historically been grouped with either the Psittaculini parrots or the vasa parrots, with the latest genetic study favouring the former group.

Rodrigues parrot Extinct species of parrot that was endemic to Rodrigues

The Rodrigues parrot or Leguat's parrot is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. It is unclear to which other species it is most closely related, but it is classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other Mascarene parrots. The Rodrigues parrot bore similarities to the broad-billed parrot of Mauritius, and may have been related. Two additional species have been assigned to its genus, based on descriptions of parrots from the other Mascarene islands, but their identities and validity have been debated.

Mauritius kestrel Species of bird

The Mauritius kestrel is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels. It colonized its island home to evolve into a distinct species probably during the Gelasian . It is the most distant living species among the western Indian Ocean kestrels.

The wildlife of Mauritius consists of its flora and fauna. Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. Due to its isolation, it has a relatively low diversity of wildlife; however, a high proportion of these are endemic species occurring nowhere else in the world. Many of these are now threatened with extinction because of human activities including habitat destruction and the introduction of non-native species. Some have already become extinct, most famously the dodo which disappeared in the 17th century.

Round Island boa Species of snake

The Round Island boa, also known as the Round Island keel-scaled boa and the Round Island ground boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the monotypic genus Casarea in the family Bolyeriidae. The species is endemic to Round Island, Mauritius. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Black River Gorges National Park National park in Mauritius

Black River Gorges National Park is a national park in the hilly south-western part of Mauritius. It was proclaimed on June 15, 1994 and is managed by the National Parks and Conservation Service. It covers an area of 67.54 km² including humid upland forest, drier lowland forest and marshy heathland. Facilities for visitors include two information centres, picnic areas and 60 kilometres of trails. There are four field stations in the park which are used for National Parks and Conservation Service and Mauritian Wildlife Foundation research and conservation projects.

Mascarene grey parakeet Extinct parrot from Mauritius and Réunion

The Mascarene grey parakeet or Thirioux's grey parrot, is an extinct species of parrot which was endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. It has been classified as a member of the tribe Psittaculini, along with other parrots from the Islands.

Vallée de Ferney

Ferney La Vallée is a forest and wildlife reserve situated in the Bambou mountains north of Mahébourg in Grand Port District, Mauritius. It is managed by the La Vallée de Ferney Conservation Trust.

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) – About Us – Board of Directors". Mauritian-wildlife.org. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mascarenes team | Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust". Durrell.org. 6 January 1990. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Carl Jones – University of East Anglia". UEA. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Falco punctatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22696373A93557909. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22696373A93557909.en . Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Rodrigues, Ana S. L.; Brooks, Thomas M.; Butchart, Stuart H. M.; Chanson, Janice; Cox, Neil; Hoffmann, Michael; Stuart, Simon N. (26 November 2014). "Spatially Explicit Trends in the Global Conservation Status of Vertebrates". PLOS ONE. 9 (11): e113934. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9k3934R. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113934 . PMC   4245261 . PMID   25426636.
  6. ↑ Griffiths, CJ; Hansen, DM; Jones, CG; Zuël, N; Harris, S (2011). "Current Biology – Resurrecting Extinct Interactions with Extant Substitutes". Current Biology. 21 (9): 762–765. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.042 . PMID   21514155.
  7. ↑ "BBC Two – Last Chance to See". Bbc.co.uk. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Indianapolis Prize 2012 Finalist – Carl Jones" . Retrieved 22 November 2013– via YouTube.
  9. 1 2 "Q&A session with the two Indianapolis Prize nominees – University of Wales". Wales.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus) – BirdLife species factsheet". Birdlife.org. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Comparison of survival rates of captive-reared and wild-bred Mauritius kestrels (Falco punctatus) in a re-introduced population". Conservation Evidence. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Listening to Echos and Searching for Ghosts" (PDF). Parrots.org. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Echo Parakeet (Psittacula eques) - BirdLife species factsheet". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) – BirdLife species factsheet". Birdlife.org. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  15. ↑ "Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) - BirdLife species factsheet". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  16. ↑ Jones, Carl (November 1998). On the Edge, no. 83. Case Study: Reptile Recovery on Round Island. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. ISBN   9780851995694 . Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Birdlife Data Zone". birdlife.org. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "Conservation training courses – Durrell Conservation Academy". durrell.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "New Year Honours for Carl Jones". durrell.org. 14 January 2004.
  20. ↑ "Durrell's Carl Jones Nominated for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize". durrell.org. 22 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Welsh biologist Carl Jones wins top environmental award". The Guardian. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
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