Robert Cowie Evaluates Land Snail Conservation in Okinawa

In mid-April 2026, Dr. Robert Cowie travelled to Okinawa (Japan) to assess the ongoing program for conservation of endemic Okinawan land snails, including tree species, that are threatened by invasive predatory snails and firefly larvae, and to provide advice on control measures. This program is part of a bigger effort that includes similar research and implementation to conserve the land snails of the Ogasawara Islands, which Dr. Cowie had visited in 2019. Island endemic snails are threatened across the globe, and both the Okinawa and Ogasawara efforts include captive breeding of endangered snail species, with similar programs implemented in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Bermuda, and the Desertas Islands of the Madeiran archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. The goal of these projects is to be able eventually to release snails into refuges in the wild. Dr. Cowie’s knowledge of these programs proved invaluable in facilitating advice, while he also learned of similar new approaches being adopted in Japan during visits to breeding facilities in both Okinawa and Tokyo.