Invasive species have been recognised as a threat to biological diversity worldwide, and the threat is particularly severe for island states. In order to build regional capacity to deal with this issue, the European Commission’s DG-Development has funded the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project, in which the Saint Helena National Trust is a partner. The project has now been running for almost six months, and is being implemented by RSPB.

Work is ongoing to assess the status of invasive species on Saint Helena, and a workshop is planned for at the beginning of July to set priorities for project activities over the next two years. A local project officer, Andrew Darlow, has been appointed, and is based in Jamestown.