Island ecosystems are uniquely susceptible to threats from exotic invasions. Because islands often support rare and endemic species, examples exist throughout the world of species extinctions and habitat destruction on islands resulting from the introduction of non-native species. Recent observations have also demonstrated that single-species perturbations within these relatively simple systems can generate multi-trophic impacts. Yet all systems are dynamic, even in the absence of biological invasions. Setting obtainable restoration goals, then, first requires an understanding of the ecologic state to which management actions should strive to move the system. This is a challenging task, and island ecosystems provide unique opportunities to measure the success of various conservation strategies. For example the isolation of oceanic islands that all but eliminates the possibility of native species recolonization after extirpation also facilitates successful exotic invasion prevention programs. The ecosystems of the California Channel Islands have been altered by anthropogenic uses for thousands of years. In the last two centuries these impacts have resulted in the loss of many native species, as well as changes in species composition and ecosystem function. For example, apparent competition driven by feral pigs, an exotic species, resulted in golden eagles, an exotic predator, almost driving native island fox to extinction because fox had previously been the top predator and were naïve to predation risks. Consequently recent management efforts have focused both on removing exotic plant and animal species as well as reintroducing extirpated species such as bald eagles. While these are positive actions for species protection, the future trajectories of these systems either as a result of these actions or in spite of them are not entirely predictable, and adaptive management based on continued monitoring and research will be needed for long-term protection. This session will include diverse presentations on several eradication and recovery efforts and associated research on the California Channel Islands that will directly address the meeting theme of setting goals and assessing success of ecological restoration efforts. Specifically the talks will address: 1) What are the ecological impacts to island systems of invasive species, and how can we assess risks from both an ecological and a conservation perspective? 2) How do we set conservation goals and establish research and management priorities in dynamic systems? 3) How can large-scale conservation projects on islands, whether successful or not, provide information that can be used in non-insular systems?