Intensified 2025 Protection Efforts Target Critically Endangered Grenada Dove

The Grenada Dove, the island nation's endemic and critically endangered bird, faces an escalated conservation focus throughout 2025. With the wild population currently estimated to be fewer than 140 individuals, this unique avian species remains under severe threat. Key pressures driving its decline include the ongoing fragmentation of its essential dry coastal forest habitat due to development and persistent predation from invasive species, notably the mongoose.

Conservation efforts are now strategically concentrated on the small, scattered enclaves that represent the dove's last strongholds. A comprehensive, multi-faceted action plan is being implemented, prioritizing habitat restoration to expand the living spaces available to the birds. Simultaneously, the legal framework protecting the species and its delicate environment is receiving significant reinforcement to establish a more robust perimeter of security.

A crucial component of the renewed strategy involves targeted programs to manage and reduce the impact of mongoose predation, aiming to alleviate constant threat pressure on the recovering population. The Gaea Conservation Network is leading these vital initiatives in close collaboration with the Grenada Forestry and National Parks Department. This partnership has gained high-level governmental support, formalized recently through a Country Partnership Framework with the OPEC Fund for International Development for the period 2025–2027, which is set to inject substantial resources into these environmental programs.

The Grenada Dove, a member of the genus *Leptotila* sometimes locally called the 'moucoumou,' holds cultural significance, having been declared the national bird of Grenada in 1973. This intensified mobilization in 2025 reflects a collective recognition that focused, unified action is necessary to shift the bird's trajectory from decline toward renewal. The success of these localized efforts in balancing human expansion with biodiversity preservation will serve as a critical indicator for other small island nations facing similar dual pressures.