A short documentary “Message in a Bottle” focuses on the problems and potential dangers that island flora and fauna have to face under the influence of globalization on the example of three islands, namely the Round Island, Samoa, and Jamaica.

The Round Island lies in the Indian Ocean, twenty kilometers north from the main island Mauritius. It`s fauna is richer than that of the Mauritius due to its remote location and rocky shoreline that makes the island inaccessible for rats, which have annihilated most of the species on the main island, and turns it into the last shelter for a number of endemic reptiles, namely Guenther’s Gecko, Telfair’s Skink, Keel-scale Boa, Phelsuma Ghuenteri, and giant tortoises. As for plant life, the situation is more complicated due to the fact that the island is overpopulated with nibblers, goats, and rabbits that consume seeds and young shoots leading many plants to extinction. For instance, at the present moment, the only existing hurricane palm in the world grows on the Round Island, and it is protected by activists from the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. The main goal of this organization is to recreate the ecosystem of the island as near as possible to the one that existed before different pests occupied the island by means of quarantine implementation, species population monitoring, and plants transfer.

Samoa, an island in the Pacific Ocean, faces similar problems of species, especially fish, extinction, lack of natural resources, and mass deforestation. The main reason for the natural catastrophe the ecologists have to deal with now is uncontrolled and illegal fishing accompanied by such practices as water poisoning, dynamiting, and use of tiny mesh nets. In order to prevent an ecological disaster on the island, local governments have implemented severe restrictions concerning fishing practices, giving many species, including whales and sharks, a chance for recovery.

In order to protect nature and prevent possible negative impacts of climate change, the local authorities of Jamaica, an island situated in the Caribbean Sea, together with international organizations have founded a number of nature protecting projects, namely Ridge to Reef Project the aim of which is to teach local farmers how to minimize soil erosion, and Coastal Water Improvement Project that focuses on the sanitation and drainage problems. In addition, all hotels situated on the island also contribute to nature protection passing Green Globe and Blue Flag certifications that prove that all their services are environmentally friendly.

The examples of these islands demonstrate that even under the condition of limited financial and human resources, cooperating and having a clear aim people are able to improve the state of environment and protect nature.