Sint Eustatius: Fragile Ecosystems Threaten Island’s Wildlife – S.O.S Bridled Quail-Dove  

Sint Eustatius is home to a rich diversity of ecosystems, both on land and beneath the sea. But as climate patterns shift and hurricanes grow in frequency and violence, the island’s natural systems are under growing pressure, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen nature’s resilience to such events.  

Some species on Sint Eustatius are already suffering the impact of past extreme weather events. The Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea), a shy, ground-dwelling bird found only in the Lesser Antilles, provides a striking example of how ecosystem degradation can push species toward extinction. 

On the island, this dove is found only in the forest of the Quill National Park. Before devastating Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the Windward Lesser Antilles in 2017, the Statian population of Bridled Quail-Doves was estimated at around 3000 individuals, a relatively healthy number. However, following the hurricanes’ destruction, the population suffered a dramatic decline and has continued to decrease ever since. 

In fact, the resilience of the Quill’s ecosystem has been severely compromised by powerful hurricanes. The natural regeneration process that typically begins after such disturbance was hindered by free roaming livestock, avid for newly fresh saplings. To this day, the forest of the Quill National Park presents a dense canopy of mature old trees but a worrying absence of dense regeneration in the understory. 

The most recent assessment, conducted in 2021, estimated fewer than 50 individuals of Bridled Quail-Doves remaining. This puts the Statian population at the very brink of extinction. What was considered a common sight just eight years ago has now become an increasingly rare encounter, underscoring the urgency of conservation efforts. The Bridled Quail-Dove has a very limited habitat range, living within the first two meters of the forest understory, where it feeds and nests. Due to its sensitivity to environmental changes, it serves as an important indicator species for assessing ecosystem health. A decline in its population often signals that something in the ecosystem is not working. 

The situation is further worsened by the presence of non-native species, such as rats and feral cats which prey on eggs and chicks, as well as free roaming chickens that compete for food with the dove. 

A Land Restoration Project to Recreate habitat in the Quill National Park 

In addition to its ongoing reforestation efforts, STENAPA launched a new Land Restoration Project in 2023 under the Dutch Nature and Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) in collaboration with Birdlife Netherlands – Vogelbescherming, Wageningen University and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA). 

Led by STENAPA’s Land Restoration Coordinator, Simone Erroi, and Invasive Species Officer Adam Mitchell, the project aims to restore degraded habitats within The Quill National Park, particularly those critical to the survival of the Bridled Quail-Dove. The project focuses on a combination of invasive species control and ecosystem restoration to support the dove’s recovery. 

Key project components include: 

• Invasive species control 

• Creation of protected regeneration zones free from roaming livestock 

• Biodiversity monitoring 

• Bridled Quail-Dove population surveys 

Given the dove’s critically low population, traditional methods such as active transect surveys during the breeding season often fail to yield sufficient data for meaningful analysis. This is where remote sensing becomes essential. By using passive acoustic monitoring, the team can collect data even in remote or difficult to access areas, improving the chances of detecting this elusive species and better understanding its habitat use. Because the devices are discreet and non-intrusive, they do not disturb wildlife. This makes them ideal for passive but highly effective monitoring, allowing researchers to detect animal presence and behaviour based solely on sound. 

Audiomoths Remote Sensing Devices “Spying” on Statia’s Wildlife  

Remote-sensing technology is now playing a key role in monitoring biodiversity within the Land Restoration project. Using the Audiomoth device, a full-spectrum acoustic logger widely used in conservation, STENAPA has begun collecting extensive acoustic data to track the dove presence and distribution. These devices were kindly provided by Vogelbescherming enabling a significant shift towards broader and more comprehensive wildlife monitoring.  

The study started in October 2024. By overlaying an imaginary survey grid (see figure below), the surface of Quill National Park was divided into 36 sections. Of these, 30 were selected for acoustic monitoring using the Audiomoth recording device for a two-week period. This allows a coverage of a wide range of habitats, from areas where the Bridled Quail-Dove is known to occur, to locations where the species has never been observed. 

Over the past year, almost two data collection cycles have been completed, although the data still requires thorough analysis. This presents an opportunity to expand research beyond the Bridled Quail-Dove; acoustic recordings can reveal the presence and abundance of multiple species, providing a richer picture of the island’s biodiversity and ecological niche. 

Next steps include processing the existing data and enhancing remote sensing effort by integrating camera traps alongside the acoustic recorders. Additionally, STENAPA aims to develop standardized protocols to extend this monitoring approach to other parks across the Caribbean, promoting a unified and effective wildlife surveillance network.