Partula suturalis was extirpated due to the introduction of the carnivorous land snail Euglandina rosea (the rosy wolfsnail). In 1977, biologists deliberately released the rosy wolfsnail onto Moorea Island in an effort to control a previously introduced invasive species, the giant African land snail, Lissachatina fulica. This release coincided with additional releases of rosy wolfsnails on Tahiti and other Society Islands in the 1980s and 1990s. The release of rosy wolfsnails on Moorea island resulted in the extirpation of all 9 of the Moorean Partula species including Partula suturalis.[3] By 1987, there were no remaining populations of Partula suturalis in the wild.[4]
Interventions before extinction created captive populations of two of the four subspecies in international zoos and universities. The Partulid Global Species Management Programme manages the global captive population.
Reintroduction of Moorean Partula snails, including Partula suturalis, was attempted in 1994. However, the field reserve created on Moorea island struggled with repeated predator incursions and was shut down in 1998. The experiment was successful in validating that individuals bred in captivity were capable of reproducing in the wild.[5] Continued reintroduction efforts will be challenged by the continued spread of the invasive rosy wolfsnail.
^Coote, Trevor; Clarke, Dave; Hickman, Carole Jean Stentz; Murray, James; Pearce-Kelly, Paul (July 2004). "Experimental Release of Endemic Partula Species, Extinct in the Wild, into a Protected Area of Natural Habitat on Moorea". Pacific Science. 58 (3): 429. doi:10.1353/psc.2004.0028. S2CID20812190.