Benefits of Eradication
The successful eradication of invasive species from islands has a significant benefit to the native biodiversity. With the removal of the competition and predation from invasive species, recovery of some native species can be rapid and spectacular.
The changes seen on the Phoenix Islands are typical of the results of invasive species eradications.
In 2006, a survey of the Phoenix Islands, Republic of Kiribati, concluded that there had been a serious decline in many native seabird species due to the presence of the Asian rat. Following the report, in 2008 Asian rats were eradicated from McKean. The following year in 2009, a post-eradication monitoring survey found clear evidence of large increases in seabird populations and a significant recovery in native vegetation.