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Life Stop Extinction

French Polynesia, Oceania 

Copenhagen Zoo is an integral part of the EU co-funded LIFE Stop Extinction in French Polynesia project. Together with partners from around the world, we are working to conserve five of the world’s most endangered bird species and help secure their survival.

How the project started

French Polynesia has one of the highest proportions of threatened bird species in the world.

So far, 50 endemic species – species found nowhere else in the world – have already become extinct. Of the 30 native bird species that remain, 20 are threatened, and 10 of these are classified as critically endangered.

The decline of these birds is primarily caused by invasive species introduced to the islands by humans, either deliberately or accidentally. These invasive species spread between islands and destabilise their fragile ecosystems. Some of the greatest threats to the birds include rats, cats and avian malaria.

We were one of the organisations that, on behalf of the birds, said: STOP EXTINCTION! And that was the beginning of a global collaboration for conservation.

What we are working on right now

By establishing a targeted ex situ population of the Fatu Hiva monarch, we are working to improve the species’ chances of survival. Conservation efforts also include monitoring, protecting natural areas, controlling invasive species and restoring habitats. Copenhagen Zoo contributes particularly through research that helps make these efforts more effective, while also playing a direct role in managing the overall project and in strategic translocations of birds to new, protected areas, in close collaboration with the other organisations involved in the LIFE Stop Extinction project.

The fact is that without a major conservation effort, we risk losing these bird species forever.

More specifically, the LIFE Stop Extinction project works to protect:

  • Fatu Hiva monarch: 19 individuals remaining

  • Rapa shearwater: 120 individuals remaining

  • Rapa fruit dove: 140 individuals remaining

  • Tahiti monarch: 150 individuals remaining

  • Polynesian ground dove: 180 individuals remaining

Want to read more about the project?

You can download the project flyer in Danish or English:

Co-funded by the European Union

The LIFE Stop Extinction project is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Programme – a funding instrument that supports the implementation of the EU’s environmental and climate policies.

Our other projects

At Copenhagen Zoo, we are actively involved in conservation projects around the world. Which project would you like to explore next?