Human impacts are reshaping the rules of island biodiversit
- July 24th, 2026
- Scientific production
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A major international review in Science Advances highlights the need to rethink how island biodiversity is studied and conserved. Paulo A. V. Borges is among the 47 international authors of the paper.
Published on 23 July 2026 in Science Advances, the review “Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene” shows that many biodiversity patterns observed on islands today cannot be interpreted solely as the outcome of natural ecological and evolutionary processes. Instead, they also reflect a long legacy of human-driven extinctions, species introductions, habitat transformation and global connectivity.
Islands have been fundamental to ecology and evolutionary biology, inspiring Darwin’s work and the theory of island biogeography. Yet they have also suffered a disproportionate share of global biodiversity loss: island endemic species account for approximately 75% of documented human-driven extinctions worldwide.
The international team explains that the arrival of humans has transformed island ecosystems over centuries or millennia. Native and endemic species have disappeared or declined, while many introduced species have become established. Although introductions can sometimes compensate numerically for species losses, they do not replace the distinctive evolutionary history, ecological functions or conservation value of the native species that have been lost.
This process can make islands increasingly similar in their biological composition, reducing their uniqueness. It can also alter classic relationships between biodiversity and island area, isolation and environmental conditions - relationships that have long been central to island ecology.
Professor Paulo A. V. Borges, researcher at the Azorean Biodiversity Group and the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes at the University of the Azores, contributed to the study’s conceptual development, methodology, analysis, validation and interpretation. His longstanding research on Azorean arthropods, endemic species, biological invasions and land-use change brings an important Macaronesian perspective to this global synthesis.
The Azores are directly relevant to the paper’s message. Extensive historical transformation has left less than 5% of the archipelago’s original native forest cover, greatly reducing the effective habitat available for native forest species. At the same time, the islands host an exceptional concentration of endemic biodiversity, much of it vulnerable to habitat degradation and invasive species.
“The study shows that islands cannot be treated simply as untouched natural laboratories,” notes Paulo A. V. Borges. “To understand their biodiversity, and to conserve it effectively, we must consider both the long-term natural processes that created their unique species and the profound human pressures that have reshaped island ecosystems.”
The authors call for stronger integration of palaeoecological evidence, historical documents, museum collections, ancient DNA, biodiversity databases and advanced modelling. These approaches are essential to reconstruct past ecological baselines, identify overlooked extinctions, and support more informed conservation and restoration strategies.
For island regions such as the Azores, the study reinforces the value of long-term biodiversity monitoring, well-curated biological collections, open biodiversity data and sustained protection and restoration of native habitats. Understanding what has changed is a necessary step towards safeguarding what remains.
Reference
Matthews, T. J., Sayol, F., Soares, F. C., Heinen, J. H., Chu, O., Martínez-Rubio, N., Wayman, J. P., Martin, T. E., Rozzi, R., Bellard, C., Blackburn, T. M., Borges, P. A. V., et al. (2026). Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Science Advances, 12, eaee1788. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aee1788
https://phys.org/news/2026-07-human-impacts-rewrite-island-biodiversity.html