A high volcanic island in Mexico, where Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) nest and Ka'upu (Black-footed Albatross) were translocated from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, is now recognized on the world stage! In Nice, France in June of 2025, the announcement was made that Isla Guadalupe was chosen as one of three world-wide exemplar models of an ongoing, large-scale and long term ecosystem restoration by a group of ecosystem restoration expert. Check-out the albatross beauties featured on the United Nations announcement webpage here! The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the United Nations (UN) Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares – an area larger than China – by 2030. Selection follows a thorough review process with 15 criteria, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade.
Before the Ka'upu from Midway were translocated, the Mōlī had already discovered this oasis for albatross. A cold California current that supports their preferred seafood runs along side a dramatic volcanic island with plenty of breezy nesting opportunities and safe from the on-going threat of the rising sea levels. To give the more vulnerable population of Midway's Ka'upu a chance to reap the benefits of this Mexico location, Ka'upu eggs and chicks were translocated numerous times between 2021 to 2023 using foster Laysan albatross parents. By February of 2024, the first Ka'upu had returned!
Enjoy the trailer below for the upcoming movie, RESTORE, that highlights the collective energy and extraordinary wildlife habitat recovery efforts to islands once dominated by a very stark and dry ecosystem. Today 85% of formerly eradicated seabird colonies have returned to Mexico's islands, including species at risk of extinction.
Read more about the island restoration work here!
From Midway to Mexico on Hawaiian Airlines
The translocation flights between Midway and Mexico's islands took place between 2021 to 2023. The Pacific Rim Conservation partnered with Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas to translocate Ka‘upu chicks and eggs from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Mexico. In total, 12 chicks and 93 eggs were translocated and 93 chicks fledged!
Climate change has increasingly threatened the species, and experts like Eric VanderWerf, director of science at Oʻahu-based nonprofit Pacific Rim Conservation, believe its survival depends on establishing new nesting grounds at higher elevations. Isla Guadalupe is ideal for alternative Kaʻupu nesting sites because “It is a big, high landmass where there is already a thriving colony of Mōlī (Laysan Albatross),” VanderWerf said. “Kaʻupu are known to forage for food in the waters around Isla Guadalupe, but they historically did not nest there. Some Ka'upu nesting in Hawaiʻi fly to California and Mexico to find food and then fly all the way home to feed their chick. We can make their commute much shorter if we can get them to nest on Isla Guadalupe.”
“Almost all of the Kaʻupu in the world, about 28,000 pairs, nest on the low atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,” VanderWerf said. “The biggest long-term threat to the species is the inundation of its breeding colonies by sea-level rise and storm waves caused by climate change.”
Behind the Scenes
Hawaiian Airlines staff proudly worked alongside these researchers beginning in 2020 to give the species a lift to their new home. VanderWerf said, “Traveling with such fragile cargo like the Ka'upu eggs is somewhat nerve-wracking. It’s like traveling with an infant, or 57 infants, since that is how many eggs we brought.”
Click on the small arrows to the right and left of photo below to view pre-liftoff photos!
Kaʻupu chicks strapped into Extra Comfort seats before departing Honolulu for San Diego, where scientists would cross the Mexican border and travel to Isla Guadalupe. Photo provided by Pacific Rim Conservation 
A Kaʻupu chick pictured while scientists moved them through the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Photo provided by Pacific Rim Conservation 
VanderWerf (far left) and his team onboard Hawaiian's Airbus A330 with incubators filled with Kaʻupu eggs. Photo provided by Pacific Rim Conservation