Laurence Rose, a species recovery volunteer with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is trying to answer this question. His focus is on the endemic species of birds that were pulled back from the brink with the support of the RSPB.
Laurence is a writer who has published three books on nature and conservation. For the past three years, he has been documenting the fascinating history of these conservation efforts for the RSPB, recognising that a lot of valuable knowledge slips away as key figures retire or sadly pass on without sharing their insights.
“A lot of this work goes back 30 or 40 years or even longer, and they’ve taken with them a lot of the knowledge of how they did things in those days – all the things that you wish you’d captured before it was too late and often it’s stuff that never gets written down, things that don’t seem important at the time,” he says.
Laurence with Dr Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles' Chief Executive
His mission includes poring over historical and scientific reports, searching online records, and chatting with people to gather memories, stories, and wisdom that could easily fade into obscurity. The aim is to craft engaging essays to provide a solid easily accessible backstory for RSPB, that would also serve as a handy resource for journalists and partner organisations involved with the conservation actions.
His current assignment is the recovery of the “million-pound bird,” – the Seychelles Magpie Robin (Copsychus sechellarum) – so-called because it took that much money to save this bird from extinction.
This assignment has brought him to Seychelles, where he has been speaking with those involved in the Magpie’s recovery including Dr Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles’ Chief Executive.
Laurence worked with the RSPB from 1983 to 2022 when he retired. He was involved in its species recovery programme, which was working to bring different species from the brink in the latter years. Although not directly involved with its recovery at the time, he was always aware of the scale of the efforts to save the Magpie Robin.
“Saving the bird was a big deal back then. But I think if we didn’t have people here in this country who were also determined to save the species then we probably wouldn’t have succeeded,” he says.
This is also a story about saving the Seychelles Warbler and in turn saving an island and other species
This is a story within many stories, he reiterates. It’s also about the International Council for Bird Protection (ICBP), which bought Cousin Island Special Reserve to save the Seychelles Warbler and in turn saved an island and other species such as the Magpie and Hawksbill turtle. It’s also about its evolution into BirdLife International and the birth of BirdLife Seychelles, which later became Nature Seychelles.
“Nature Seychelles was supported by BirdLife and RSPB to save critically endangered bird species in Seychelles and become the BirdLife Partner. We pioneered whole island restoration and have collaborated with private island owners and other stakeholders to down-list Critically Endangered birds in Seychelles. These world class successes enabled us to take an ecosystem-based approach to our work and become involved in wider programs and projects across many disciplines and sectors for the benefit of Seychelles’ environment,” says Dr. Shah.
Group photo with island staff on Cousin Island
Laurence also had the opportunity to visit Cousin Island to see first-hand the ongoing conservation work for the bird and other species. He met with island staff, followed their work, and was also fortunate to encounter two nesting Hawksbill turtles and to see hatchlings going to the ocean.
“Before I arrived here and before I spoke to Dr Shah, I thought this would be a straightforward narrative. But this story is really about how conservation happens, the different aspects and the connectivity, and about funding and the future,” he says.
“It is a legendary bird, so it is a privilege to finally meet it face to face,” he concludes.