The South Atlantic Invasive Species Project is a three year project funded by the EU with the purpose of increasing capacity to reduce the threat to biodiversity posed by invasive species across the South Atlantic Overseas Territories. 

The project is managed by Clare Miller at RSPB, the UK’s largest conservation organisation, with local project officers, Andrew Darlow in St Helena and Brian Summers in the Falkland Islands. 

The project spans five UK Overseas Territories: St Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The governments of each territory plus Falklands Conservation and the St Helena National Trust are principal project partners. Work has commenced in each of the territories with the preparation of a background discussion document outlining the situation and challenges for each territory.  With a region which stretches from the sub-Antarctic almost to the equator, the scope and diversity of the challenges are considerable. 

Planning workshops will be held in each territory, with input from local stakeholders and community members. The aim is that the workshops will develop a series of prioritised actions which will be taken forward by the project team. Steering groups will then work with project team members to ensure the implementation of the project actions. Technical advice will be available from a regional steering group of experts in invasive species issues. Additionally, the project teams will be working to raise awareness and understanding of the region’s biodiversity issues, locally and internationally.  The workshop on St Helena was held 5 and 6th July 2007.

Anyone with questions or comments about the workshop or any aspect of the invasive species project is welcome to contact the project manager, Clare Miller: clare.miller@rspb.org.uk or the project officer for St Helena and Ascension, Andrew Darlow: adarlow.sais@helanta.sh

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