Contributed by Sarah Sanders, RSPB International Officer – UK Overseas Territories

St Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, is home to an unusual mixture of birds. They range from eight species of seabird, mainly breeding on the offshore islands and inaccessible cliffs, to the globally threatened endemic St Helena Plover, better known locally as the Wirebird, which is found only on St Helena.

I am responsible for co-ordinating the RSPB’s programme in the UK Overseas Territories, and I visited St Helena between 22 and 29 January. Although the RSPB is also supporting work on Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—some of you may already be familiar with the Ascension Seabird Restoration Project and the preparation of a biodiversity action plan on Tristan—it was my first visit to St Helena. The purposes were to meet with the Saint Helena National Trust, to become familiar with biodiversity issues and associated projects and institutions and to progress an EU South Atlantic regional invasive species project proposal. With many people to meet and sites to visit, it was a very busy week.

Apart from my meetings, highlights included a visit to Deadwood with the Conservation Section to see the Wirebird, where we were lucky to find one chick, and a boat trip with the Fisheries Department to monitor cetaceans and seabirds. The precarious landing on Egg Island was particularly exciting. We counted over 100 Brown Noddy nests and were very fortunate to see the elusive Madeiran Storm Petrel, which nests in burrows amongst the rocks. I also planted a Gumwood Tree at the Millennium Forest and climbed up Diana’s Peak to view the restoration work that is taking place. It was very encouraging to see the clearance of flax and the return of native vegetation to the tops of the Peaks. I also enjoyed visiting Prince Andrew’s School to give a presentation.

My visit to St Helena has confirmed that the biggest threats to biodiversity on the South Atlantic UK Overseas Territories are invasive species. These are species which do not occur naturally but which have been introduced by people. The main

International Officer of RSPB, Sarah Sanders, with President and Director of SHNT

issues brought to my attention were the problems caused by white weed, an invasive plant. It is rapidly encroaching on pastureland, the favoured habitat of the Wirebird, at an enormous cost both to farmers and to the Wirebird. Attempts to control white weed are proving a challenge, as removing the plant manually often assists in its proliferation. Another invasive species is the Myna Bird, which was introduced in 1815 to control ticks on cattle. Unfortunately, it has caused more problems than it has solved, as it is a serious pest to fruit crops, and it is likely that it takes eggs from the Wirebird nests. At Gill Point, we found many dead seabirds and cat scats: a strong indication that feral cats are predating on seabirds and preventing them from successfully nesting on the mainland. It is hoped that if the EU regional invasive species proposal is successful, it will assist St Helena in addressing some of these issues.

It was a very busy week and my only complaint was that I did not have enough time. Thanks must be given to the Saint Helena National Trust for organising my schedule and to all the people of St Helena for making me so welcome.
 I look forward to returning in the future.

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