Kevin Gepford | Writing
Pancake tortoises spark conservation story in Kenya
A Pancake tortoise find at Lewa set off a chain reaction—spurring surveys across Kenya’s Northern Rangelands, uncovering previously unknown colonies, extending the species’ known range, and ultimately driving the creation of a National Conservation Plan.
Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra
FOR: SMITHSONIAN
The real work of ecosystem engineering begins at the back end of this slow-moving grazer. Tortoises graze the vegetation, fertilize the soil with their dung, and disperse seeds — creating a unique grassland ecosystem called “tortoise turf.”
The Green Threat to Galapagos Tortoise Migrations
FOR: HAKAI MAGAZINE
Two species of invasive plants on the most developed island in the Galapagos are emerging as a major threat to the millennia-old migration routes that giant tortoises follow up and down the slopes of volcanoes. Solving it is complicated.
Can the Disease Killing St. Helena’s Cloud Forest be Stopped?
FOR: HAKAI MAGAZINE
A deadly water mold — a relative of the pathogen that causes potato blight — is devastating what’s left of the South Atlantic island’s endemic trees. Scientists are racing against time to save these plants from extinction.
An Army of Tortoises is Helping to Restore Nature
FOR: BBC FUTURE
An island in the Galápagos is making its ecological comeback thanks to a burgeoning tortoise population. These tortoises, the children and grandchildren of Diego, one of the archipelago’s most famous icons, are helping shape the native vegetation and restore an ecosystem in disrepair.