by insurers. Purportedly, Brando and the owner of the yacht engaged in a brief bidding-war over rights to the vessel’s polished mahogany hull (as reported by the owner in the New Zealand yachting magazine Sail, in 1981), which Brando (allegedly) wanted to use as a bar at a new resort he planned to build on the island. The yacht was salvaged, and sent to New Zealand for repair. In 2002, two years before the actor's death, Brando signed a new will and trust agreement that left no instructions for Tetiaroa. Following his death in 2004, the Tetiaroa Village Hotel was closed and the staff evicted from the atoll. The atoll was closed to tourism. In August 2004, French Polynesian vice-president Hiro Tefaarerea advocated for the atoll to be declared a nature reserve to prevent development. Eventually, executors of the estate granted development rights to Pacific Beachcomber SC, a Tahitian company that owns hotels throughout French Polynesia. The Brando Resort was opened in July 2014. Flora and Fauna The island provides habitat for the following seabird species: Brown booby, red-footed booby, great crested tern, white tern, great frigatebird, lesser frigatebird, brown noddy, black noddy, sooty tern, and the grey-backed or spectacled tern. Shore and terrestrial birds include the Pacific reef egret, Pacific golden plover, wandering tattler, Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, and the bristle-thighed curlew. Teti’aroa hosts five of the seven marine species of turtle, namely the Hawksbill turtle, green turtle, leatherback turtle, olive Ridley turtle, and loggerhead turtle. Teti’aroa hosts numerous marine mammals, including the humpback whale, short-finned pilot whale, rough-toothed dolphin, spinner dolphin, Risso's dolphin, melon-headed whale, Blainville's beaked whale, Cuvier's beaked whale, and even some migrating pods of orca. Numerous bony fishes, sharks, and rays are also present. Plants include the fish-poison tree, Pacific ironwood, Alexandrian laurel, coconut palm, island walnut, dye fig, beach gardenia, beach heliotrope, lantern tree, breadfruit, lime tree, sea lettuce, and vanilla orchids, amongst others. Conservation and Restoration The presence of two invasive rat species significantly impacted the native vegetation, nesting seabird populations, sea turtle hatchlings, and land crabs. The Teti’aroa Society, Island Conservation, and The Brando Resort (among other partners) initiated an invasive rat-eradication project in the summer of 2022. After repeated pandemic-related disruptions, the operation took place over June and July 2022, covering 520 hectares of land and requiring more than 60 members of staff, plus volunteers. The hope is that this project will