from lake sediments and the analysis of subfossil
bones recovered from middens. Such studies have
led to important insights into the past vegetation
and animal communities of many oceanic islands.
Examples of extinct island birds known to science
only from bones include New Zealand’s extinct
moa species (Dinornis novaezealandiaein the North
Island and D. robustusin the South Island), giant
flightless ratite birds, hunted to extinction by the
Maori by about 500BP(Bunceet al. 2003), and the
elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus), extinguished by
the Malagasy people (Groombridge and Jenkins
2002). Similarly, two giant rats (Canariomys tamarani
andC. bravoi) endemic to the Canaries, were very
likely wiped out by the first inhabitants (the
guanches) or by the animals introduced by them
(Cabrera 2001). Considering the diversity of their
endemic biota, some island groups colonized in the
distant past, such as the Canaries or Madagascar,
appear to have suffered remarkably few extinctions
afterAD1600 (Table 11.6), probably because the
biota that were prone to extinction (conspicuous,
highly specialized species with low rates of recov-
ery or small population sizes) had already been
extinguished by the first colonists.
By contrast, the pristine biota of the previously
uninhabited group of islands was quite often stud-
ied by ships’ naturalists in the early voyages of dis-
covery, providing a mix of descriptions, drawings,
and specimens, famously including the flightless
dodo. Unfortunately, these earlier voyagers also
introduced exotic species, such as goats, and also
predated native species, including giant tortoise
and again the dodo (although it was unpleasant to
eat), beginning the slide of many island species
towards extinction (below).306 ANTHROPOGENIC LOSSES AND THREATS TO ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS
Table 11.5Approximate date of first human colonization in relation to European contact dates for several
archipelagoes around the world (from several sources)Island or archipelagos Pre–European establishment European contact (AD)Palaeo–inhabited
New Guinea 40–50 000 BC 1545
Tasmania 20–30 000 BC 1642
Cyprus c. 8000 BC –
Corsica–Sardinia 8600–6700BC –
Great Antilles c. 7000 BC 1511
Crete 6250 BC –
Neo–inhabited
Majorca c. 2000 BC –
Fiji, Samoa 1500 BC
Canaries c. 500 BC c. 1400
Marquesas 200 BC 1595
Easter AD400–900 1722
Hawaii AD 400 1778
Madagascar AD800–900 1500
New Zealand AD 900 1643
Previously uninhabited
Azores – 1432
Cape Verde – 1456
St Helena – 1502
Galápagos – 1535
Juan Fernández – 1574
Mascarenes – 1598
Tristan da Cunha – 1812