St Helena National Trust

Cherish our past, value our future

projects

The Heartshaped Waterfall

This work started in May 2008 and will last for two years. The aim is to open up a pathway along the valley floor leading to the waterfall so that one of the most attractive natural features in St Helena can be properly seen and fully enjoyed by Islanders and visitors.

Access to the start of the path is via a track called the Barnes Road which runs below the Briars to Drummond’s Point. The Briars is where Napoleon stayed with the Balcombe family at the Pavilion while waiting for Longwood House to be made ready for him as his permanent residence in exile.

St Helena’s Millennium Forest: A symbol of small islands fight to defend fragile eco-systems

14 million years ago volcanic activity gave birth to a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic. For 0.003% of this time the island was left to its own devices. Mankind did not know of its existence until 2nd May 1502 when the Portuguese named it St Helena, after the saint commemorated on the day of its discovery. The Portuguese did not establish any permanent settlements. The British colonised it in 1659, establishing a permanent settlement immediately.

Conserving the Wirebird (Charadrius sanctaehelenae)

The critically endangered Wirebird is St Helena’s only surviving endemic bird. It is a small plover, which attracts a great deal of interest from the local community as well from visitors. There are currently only 322 individuals to be found on the island, which means on a global scale not only is it a very rare species but the population is by no means safe from extinction.

Research and Conservation of flora and fauna on the Central Peaks

The Central Peaks, Diana’s Peak, Mount Actaeon and Cuckold’s Point, together with other locations above 600m have been the subject of some valuable research into the Island’s endemic flora and fauna. The predominant environment on the Peaks is cloud forest with frequent high humidity. This prevailing habitat provides the environment for many rare endemic invertebrates, ferns and mosses.

St Helena’s Historic Buildings – the Island’s built heritage

There is not likely to be any other 47 square mile area of land in the world which is as rich in built heritage as the Island of St Helena.

Visitors to the Island land at the wharf, pass the17th century ‘glacis’ or ramparts/fortifications and through the town gate to the Grand Parade. Main Street leads off the Grand Parade and up James valley. Along this entire route almost every building is listed because of its historic importance. Main Street is described as one of the best examples of unspoilt Georgian architecture anywhere in the world.

SOUTH ATLANTIC INVASIVE SPECIES CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT

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 is being implemented by RSPB and has been running since March 2007.

Work is ongoing to assess the status of invasive species on UK islands across the whole of the South Atlantic region. On St Helena a six month survey of the island’s plant distribution and abundance has just been completed.


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