Lord Howe Island Got Rid Of Rats & Mice; Now Native Invertebrates Roaring Back, 1/2 Found Nowhere Else On Earth

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In the summer months, Lord Howe Island’s unique stag beetle, with wing cases that appear forged from iridescent green metal, fly around the ancient tree tops looking for a mate. “That’s really something wonderful,” said Ian Hutton, a naturalist and nature guide on the World Heritage-listed island. “I would have struggled to have seen any of them 10 years ago.”

Lord Howe Island, which lies 600km off Australia’s east coast, was formed by the 7-million-year-old remains of a volcano. Its craggy and beautiful 15 sq km are crammed with a treasure trove of unique plants and animals. And, in recent years, a lot more bugs.

The rise in the island’s invertebrates – beetles, weevils, bush cockroaches and other bugs – has come after a campaign seven years ago to rid the island of about 300,000 invasive rats and mice.

Now a study in the journal Biological Invasions has found the island’s bugs are bouncing back since the 2019 eradication program.“Across our sites we found a 60% increase in the total numbers of invertebrates,” said Maxim Adams, a researcher at the University of Sydney.“I think that’s pretty extraordinary but it’s something we had a feeling for. Walking around Lord Howe now … all of us are blown away by what we’re seeing.”

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/27/lord-howe-island-got-rid-of-its-rats-and-mice-now-cockroaches-and-bugs-are-bouncing-back