We have decided to go back to the Desertas Islands, a small deserted archipelago near Madeira, to try and save two incredibly rare snails from extinction. This project is part of our "Ugly Ones" program which aims to support underfunded species and ecosystems.

🐌 If you would like to support this type of work please consider heading over to: mossy.earth?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=expedition2_part1

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START REWILDING OUR PLANET TODAY
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With us, you will restore nature and fight climate change every month
🌲 Plant native trees to capture carbon
🐺 Rewild habitats to support biodiversity
🐌 Support underfunded species and ecosystems

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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
01:20 Day 1 Bugio
03:00 Day 2 Planalto sul
08:10 Why we do this

❤️ OUR PARTNERS
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This snail species rescue operation is led by Dinarte Teixeira, the Malacologist at IFCN who sounded the alarm about these species. The captive breeding programme is led by Chester Zoo and Bristol Zoo Gardens. The project is also integrated into a broader conservation strategy of the IUCN’S Mid Atlantic Islands Species Specialist Group.

Pix4D, a drone mapping software company, has kindly offered to sponsor our use of their software for this and other Mossy Earth projects. This is part of their ambition of using their technology to support nature conservation and restoration projects.

📚 ABOUT THIS PROJECT
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Four species of snail thought to be extinct have been found on a small Atlantic island. After more than 100 years without a confirmed observation, the species were rediscovered on Deserta Grande by the local conservationists at IFCN. Their only home and habitat had been devastated by invasive species so their reappearance comes as a very pleasant surprise.

However, initial estimates of their numbers (less than 50) suggest they may be on the verge of extinction.

For this project, we have joined a hopeful rescue operation led by the IFCN that aims to ensure the long term survival of these species.

The plan involves starting a captive breeding programme in collaboration with Chester Zoo and Bristol Zoo to boost snail numbers. But the first step of finding enough individuals of these endangered animals, perched on this rugged and remote island, was no easy feat. This is why we sent Tiago, one of our adventurous conservation biologists, to navigate the perilous rocky terrain and help with the expedition work.

Once there are enough snails in captivity, we’ll be exploring the possibility of reintroducing them onto an adjacent island where the fossil record suggests the species used to be abundant and where the habitat is recovering following the eradication of invasive species.

🔎 Read all about this project here: https://mossy.earth/projects/rewilding/snail-species-rescue?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video_description&utm_campaign=expedition2_part1