Lord Howe Island Conservation Trips & Talks

Explore ways to preserve Lord Howe’s ecology

Ian Hutton is passionate about preserving the natural wonders of Lord Howe Island and for over two decades he has run conservation trips to allow visitors to contribute to and understand the important environmental work being undertaken on the Island.

Humans have impacted Lord Howe Island’s ecosystem since before settlement. Sailors looking for food shot two bird species to extinction and put feral pigs and goats ashore to feed future sailors. Once they started to arrive in 1834, settlers brought feral cats, mice and rats. The Masked Owl was introduced in the 1920s to reduce rat numbers, which were threatening the Kentia Palm Industry.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that environmental surveys identified the incredible damage being done to the island’s unique flora and fauna by introduced species. Since then, a number of community and government led initiatives have helped to restore the Island’s ecosystem. The 1980s removal of cats and pigs, combined with a captive breeding program saved the endemic, flightless Woodhen from near extinction. The removal of wild goats in the late 1990s facilitated the resurgence of many native plants.

In 1995 Ian Hutton began regular bush regeneration Eco tours to raise awareness of the weed problem, and to allow visitors to play a role in the conservation of the Island. Ian helped form the Friends of Lord Howe Island in 2001, and this led to the Lord Howe Island Board developing an ambitious 30-year Weed Eradication Program to remove at least 25 priority invasive weeds. The bush regeneration Ecotour program is Australia’s longest running ecotour, with 91 trips between 1995 and 2021. The itinerary includes half the time on conservation activities and half the time spent exploring the island.

Ian’s lectures and trips offer visitors a unique insight into the efforts being made to preserve the natural wonder of this World Heritage Site.