On a tiny and remote island in the Caribbean, the rocky landscape tests the animals that call it home.

Years of phosphate mining, invasive species and roaring hurricanes have left Sombrero Island relatively barren, causing multiple species to fight for their survival.

One of these at-risk creatures is the Sombrero ground lizard, an unassuming black reptile with long toes and a pointed snout. Researchers found in 2018 there were fewer than 100 lizards left on the island, and with no plans to restore the island's once lush landscape, the species was "on the very brink of extinction," according to a Dec. 19 news release from Fauna & Flora, a biodiversity conservation group.

Then came the hurricane season.

"In 2018, following yet another severe hurricane, we feared it might be the end for the Sombrero ground lizard," Farah Mukhida, executive director of the Anguilla National Trust, said in the release. "Fewer than 100 were left and the island was in ruins."

Instead, the critically endangered species is making a remarkable comeback.

Researchers said they began a three-year restoration project by trying to replant the forests that had been cut down on the island. The next steps were to remove the invasive rodents threatening native species and plant more naturally growing species that were key parts of the ecosystem.

"The past three years have seen painstaking restoration activity, with hands-on efforts by both our international partners and local conservation heroes to remove the invasive pests and restore natural plant cover -- not an easy feat on such a remote and rocky island like Sombrero," Mukhida said.

In one area of the island, all that remained in 2019 was a rocky cavernous pit when researchers took photos of the island. Now, in 2024, that same area is lush and filled with greenery.

The healing landscape offered new hope to the Sombrero ground lizard.

A recent survey found more than 1,600 lizards on the island, a "rapid recovery" for a rare species in just six years, according to Fauna & Flora.

"This is a remarkable turnaround for this cheeky and charismatic lizard, but while we celebrate this recovery, we recognize that there is much more to be done to secure their future and that of other Caribbean wildlife," Jenny Daltry, Caribbean Alliance director for Fauna & Flora and Re:wild, said. "The combined impacts of biodiversity loss and climate breakdown are being felt with greater intensity every year in the Caribbean and around the world."

Sombrero Island hosts multiple rare species, including the Sombrero Island bee, pygmy gecko and Sombrero Island wind scorpion, researchers said. It is also home to large bird colonies.

"The ecological restoration we have implemented on Sombrero, Redonda and many other islands across the Caribbean is important for establishing a more secure future for these islands and the many species and people that rely on them. Protecting and restoring healthy natural ecosystems is key to resilience to a changing climate," Arica Hill, Caribbean lead, said.

Sombrero Island is part of the British territory of Anguilla, islands east of the British Virgin Islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea.