Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have released several Partula snails into a specially created reserve at Fare Natura in Opunohu. This operation, carried out in partnership with the Environment Department, aims to provide the species with a protected place where it can adapt and reproduce before being permanently released into its natural environment.
Scientists in London, who have been committed for several years to saving Partula snails, released several snails from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) on Thursday into a new reserve created near the Fare Natura ecomuseum. This operation marks an important step in the preservation of this snail endemic to French Polynesia, once widespread but now threatened with extinction. “We inaugurated the Partula reserve, which was once present on many Polynesian islands. Unfortunately, due to the introduction of predators, only about forty species remain out of the original 150 ,” explains Hélène Durand, director of Fare Natura.
