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F O R U M N E W S 25

In global terms, Ascension is very important for its breedingseabird populations, especially the endemic Frigatebird, scarcespecies such as the Red-footed Booby and the concentrationsof Sooty Terns. Before the arrival of people, Ascension washome to an estimated 20 million seabirds. Today, the seabirdpopulation has been dramatically reduced to a mere 400,000.

They are confined mainly to the small offshore BoatswainbirdIsland, off-shore stacks and a few inaccessible cliffs.

Since 2001, the RSPB has been helping the Ascension IslandGovernment to implement a Foreign and CommonwealthOffice funded project to restore seabirds to the mainland ofAscension. Already, in a short space of time, significant resultshave been achieved. The Forum had been pressing for manyyears for action in this regard, and was delighted to facilitatethe funding of this project via its member organisation, RSPB.

A vital part of the project was the removal of feral cats, carriedout by Wildlife Management International Limited. No feralcats have been found since February and, to date, 77 pairs ofbreeding seabirds from five species have returned. There wasno predation of Sooty Terns during the last breeding season.The returning seabirds provide a unique opportunity to developtourism and thus support Ascension’s emerging economy.

The project also supported the establishment of a ConservationCentre. It has been so successful that the Ascension IslandGovernment now funds two posts, and it continues to attractfunding for further conservation projects. A programme is inplace to detect and monitor the progress of all mainland nesting

birds. A process to designate National Protected Areas hasbegun to ensure the habitats needed by many species, includingseabirds, are maintained.

It was the intention of the project to prepare for the eradicationof rats from Ascension. However, a review conducted in 2002concluded Ascension was not ready. There were a number ofissues that needed to be addressed before rat eradication couldtake place successfully. These included the strengthening of‘biosafety’ legislation, operational systems and border control.As a result, RSPB has supported the development of animproved rat control programme.

It is critical that the main partners in the project all continue tobe vigilant and build on the project’s success. RSPB funds anda grant from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme(OTEP) will support the position of two local cat-monitoringpersons to monitor closely the feral cat situation for the nextcouple of years.

Finally, the project marks a tremendous achievement inconservation history, as Ascension is the largest inhabited islandwhere feral cat removal has been attempted. Enormous creditgoes to the Conservation Centre whose liaison work continuesto maintain the support of the Ascension Islanders. Also to theAscension Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals, without whose backing and advice the project wouldhave had immense problems.

Sarah Sanders, Country Programmes Manager (OverseasTerritories), RSPB Sarah.Sanders@rspb.org.uk

Seabird Restoration on Ascension

UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

CONSERVATION FORUM

F O R U M N E W S 25 JULY 2004 • www.ukotcf.org

Masked Boody chick: becoming a familiar sighton Ascension mainland again

Local cat monitor, Darin Robertssetting up a cat monitoring line

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First Insect Guide to theFalkland Islands Published

Falklands Conservation has just published the first guideto identification of insects in the Falkland Islands. Theauthor of Insects of the Falkland Islands is Dr AlexanderJones who has been studying the insects of South AtlanticIslands for the past six years. He is an honorary researchfellow in the School of Biological Sciencesof the University of Wales, Bangor.

Insects of the Falkland Islands isbeautifully illustrated by RichardLewington, renowned entomological artist.The booklet is intended to raise awarenessof the unique insects found in this remotepart of the South Atlantic, and to stimulatean interest in finding those yet to bediscovered.Over 250 insect species have been recordedin the Islands and most are closely relatedto those found in mainland Patagonia andTierra del Fuego. But it has been estimatedthat nearly three quarters of all insects inthe Falklands are endemic – i.e. this is theonly place in the world where they arefound. A reduction in wing size, and indeed

A guide to the birds of St Helenaand Ascension Island

By Neil McCulloch, illustrated by Dan Powell.

In a recent catalogue of books on islands in the SouthAtlantic, there are 87 listings for St Helena! However, thisnew one is the only one where the catalogue states “essentialfor any visitor”. I couldn’t agree more. It is a pocket sized,well-illustrated book written by an ornithologist who knowsthese islands well, especially St Helena. Neil McCullochhas been studying the ecology of the Wirebird for severalyears, filling in his time improving his knowledge of theother birds of the islands. The book is careful and systematic.The initial chapters deal with the island environments, bothhistorical and contemporary, and with recommended placesto observe birds. Then each resident species and regularvisitor has a full page of attractive water colour illustrationsby Dan Powell, and a page of clearly laid out information.The extinct birds, accidental visitors and failed introductionsare listed in appendices. This is a well timed book, publishedwhen there is a focus on conservation on both islands andremoval of the feral cats from Ascension is leading to thereturn of seabirds breeding on the main island. Yes, thisreally is an essential purchase for any visitor to these islands.

This book is published on behalf of The St Helena NatureConservation Group and The Royal Society for the Protectionof Birds. RSPB ref: 92-511-01-02; ISBN 1 90190 46 7. Price£10 + p&p. Copies are available from RSPB, The Lodge,Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL. Tel: +44 1767 680551.

Myrtle Ashmole

absence of wings, is a feature of many of them - probablyan adaptation to the windy weather. Several commonbeetles are flightless, including Darwin’s black beetle firstrecorded by Charles Darwin on his famous voyage herewith the Beagle in 1834.

There are also many introduced species, mostly of Europeanorigin. These relatively recent arrivals to the Islands havecolonised as a direct result of human activities. The elevenspot ladybird came from Britain in the 1960s. The bluebottle,the most noticeable fly in the Falklands (locally known as the‘blue buzzer’), is reputed to have been accidentally introducedin 1886 on a ship visiting Port Howard, West Falkland, takingfrozen mutton to the UK.

The book is part of a larger programme on invertebratebiodiversity being conducted by Falklands Conservation toinvestigate their populations, distribution and threats to survival.In a land without native trees, reptiles or amphibians, insectlife forms a very important part of the Island’s ecology.

In launching the publication, on 29 April 2004, Dick Vane-Wright, Head of Entomology Department at the NaturalHistory Museum said: ‘In helping us all focus on the ideasthat small is beautiful, and that small things, in an ecologicalsense, make the world go round, this book will provide anessential entry point for all those who wish to, or need to,understand how the Islands work in a biological sense. Thisbook will surely stimulate discovery of the next 250 insectspecies for the Falkland Islands – because for sure thereare still many left to find, many of which will be new toscience.’

Insects of the Falkland Islands has been produced withfinancial support from the Foreign and CommonwealthOffice Environment Fund, the Peter Scott Trust forEducation and Research in Conservation and the ErnestCook Trust.

Insects of the Falkland Islands (ISBN 0-9538371-3-0, 32pages), is published by Falklands Conservation price £7(£5 to members of Falklands Conservation). It is availablefrom Falklands Conservation UK Office: 1 Princes Avenue,Finchley, London N3 2DA or from its web site shop:

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The long-term survival of Falkland Islands seabirds has beenboosted by the Government adoption of a National Plan of Actionfor Seabirds. Drafted by Falklands Conservation, the Plan wasfunded by the RSPB under the guidelines of the United NationsFood and Agriculture Organisation.

Recent changes in the longline fleet have reduced seabird deathsto negligible levels. Trawl fisheries, however, still have a significantimpact. The adoption of a plan to address seabird deaths fromtrawling is a significant first in global seabird conservation. Alsoadopted was an assessment directive to investigate seabirdinteractions with the large squid-jigging fleet that operates inFalkland Island waters. This means that the entire commercialfishing fleet in the Falkland Islands is covered by plans to reduceseabird deaths.

The timing of the adoption of the Falkland Island plans coincideswith UK ratification of the Agreement on the Conservation ofAlbatross and Petrels, focusing on reduction of bird deaths throughmitigation measures and educating fishers. Falklands Conservationand the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department have been workingclosely with the local fishing industry to develop mitigation methodsfor trawlers. Recent experimental trials identified a successfulmitigation method that will be used on all trawlers in 2004. It ishoped this will quickly reduce seabird deaths.

The Falklands is the stronghold of the Black-browed Albatross,with over 70% of the global population. In 2001, Falklands

Falklands Conservation Celebrates 25 Years of Caring for Falklands Wildlife

Conservation conducted a complete census, resulting in the re-classification of the species as Endangered in 2003. This studyestimated that, between 1995 and 2000, over 87,500 breeding pairswere lost, a rate of 4% per year, or 2 albatrosses per hour. Likeother albatross species, which spend the majority of the year foragingin waters distant to their breeding grounds, the Falkland IslandBlack-browed Albatross feeds predominantly on the PatagonianShelf and to Brazil.

Falklands Conservation has recently been granted £150,000 by theUK Overseas Territories Environment Programme of the FCO fora two-year albatross and petrel conservation programme. The work,focusing on the Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant and White-chinned Petrel, will commence in July and will include a full censusof breeding pairs of the three species and also cover site managementand protection from threats such as fire, rats, cats and disturbance.Six sites will be selected to produce management plans to be usedas working examples of best practice. As well as the research andmanagement side of the project, a strong emphasis is on education.A pack for fishermen will be produced in the first year and also onefor use in local schools, containing up to date information aboutbird distribution, status and threats. In addition, the marine elementwill include some survey and distribution work, observingmitigation measures at sea and ensuring that the number of birdskilled through fishing is being reduced effectively.

Falklands Conservation: www.falklandsconservation.com

Falklands Conservation is celebrating 25 years dedicated to protecting the spectacular wildlife of the Falkland Islands. It has developedinto a thriving, successful Falklands-based charity at the heart of the community.Back in 1979, on one of the first cruise ship visits to the Islands, Sir Peter Scott (also a founder of the World Wildlife Fund) had the ideaof setting up a UK charity, the Falkland Islands Foundation, to protect the Islands’ natural heritage. Shortly afterwards, the FalklandIsland Trust was established in the Islands to actively ‘promote an interest in all aspects of flora and fauna’. In 1991 these two organisationsmerged to form Falklands Conservation.

From a humble beginning with 2 part time staff and no proper office in Stanley, the organisation now employs 10 full time staff, has over600 members and a thriving junior group, provides support to external researchers and landowners, owns 17 offshore island naturereserves, and gives specialist conservation advice to the Falkland Islands Government. An office in the UK seeks out funds worldwideto support project work.

From the very start, efforts concentrated on seabird research. The populationcrash of Rockhopper penguins in 1986, combined with arrival of the commercialfishery, emphasized the importance of such work. Today these efforts continuebut increasing development across the Islands, changes in agricultural practiceand the oil exploration programme add to the necessity of many of the projectsFalklands Conservation undertakes.

There are a number of key challenges to Falklands wildlife, which will have to beaddressed by the charity over the next 25 years. One of the most important is thecontinued survival of the Black-browed albatross in the face of illegal, unlicensed,and unregulated fisheries across the Patagonian Shelf. This will be pursued actively,particularly as a Partner within BirdLife International representing the FalklandIslands, and as an active member within the UK Overseas Territories ConservationForum. The possible causes of the long-term decline of Rockhopper penguinsmust also be investigated and action taken to protect what is the largest global concentration of these birds. Eradication of rats fromoffshore islands has to continue to safeguard the endemic birds of the Islands (Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck and Cobb’s Wren). Thestatus and distribution of the Islands’ rare plants has to be undertaken and invertebrate studies continue. The charity will remain alert tothe impact that exploration for oil in Falkland waters might pose to the Islands wildlife striving to ensure adequate protection onprecautionary principles. And, not least, every encouragement will be given to adoption of a Biodiversity Action Plan by the FalklandIslands Government.

Falklands Plans to Improve Seabird Conservation

Beauchene Island, Falklands islandssecond largest albatross colony

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The Falkland Islands are one of the top world sites for seabirds.They are also important for sea-mammals and endemic plants,amongst other biodiversity. One of the first persons to recognisethese exceptional values and potential was Ian Strange, farback in the early sixties. While doing his work as naturalist,artist and photographer in this region, he managed to purchaseone of the jewels of the crown of the Falklands, New Island.Years later, he created the New Island South ConservationTrust. This is a small but active organisation, which owns andmanages the New Island South Reserve, and whose mainmission is to conserve it in perpetuity. The Reserve (with ca.1,000ha) has, amongst other outstanding values, the largestcolony of thin-billed prions in the world, numbering aroundone million pairs. Other important species include the globallythreatened rockhopper penguin and black-browed albatross,two species that nest here in large numbers.

The Reserve has seen some of the pioneering work on theFalkland Islands concerning the eradication of large grazers(sheep and cattle), allowing a spectacular recovery of thevegetation. It also pioneered activities such as controlledecotourism, and it is still one of the favoured stops for Antarcticcruise ships. Recently, the emphasis has been on detailedresearch projects, such as the ones on introduced rodents,satellite-tracking of penguins, skua migration, prion ecologyand behaviour and the population dynamics of albatrosses.

The Falkland Islands, with their small human population andlarge biodiversity, have many conservation-related issues; thereare several organisations and individuals adopting variousapproaches to address these. We believe in the usefulness ofhaving a diversity of opinions and approaches. As such, theNew Island South Conservation Trust will keep on doing itsindependent management, research and monitoring, improvingthe knowledge on the Falklands biodiversity, and making adecisive contribution to its conservation.

Paulo Catry: www.newislandtrust.com

New Island SouthConservation Trust

Illegal fishing in South AtlanticUKOT waters

Illegal fishing activities off the coast of Ascension Island werehighlighted earlier in the year when a desperate request for help toidentify the fishing boats concerned was received from the island.One or more illegal fishing boats were operating within a hundredmetres of Ascension Island. Ascension personnel managed torecover and confiscate a considerable amount of line. However,three turtles perished on the lines.

Resources are very limited on Ascension, St Helena and Tristan daCunha. HMG has stated that once the country of origin wasestablished it would pursue the issue with the nation state. Ifsustainable use of the UKOTs resources is to be met, then it isimperative that such unsustainable activities should cease. In orderto achieve this and meet its commitments, HMG needed to find away to invest in initial enforcement measures so that there is anincentive for licence purchases, which could generate income forfuture enforcement.

The Forum has made constructive suggestions which use theadvantage of coordinating measures across the large sea-areaswithin the UKOTs in the South Atlantic, and looks forward toHMG’s response.

Agreement on the Conservationof Albatrosses and Petrels

Defra and FCO officers are to be congratulated for finding away through the administrative obstacles so that UK was ableto ratify the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrossesand Petrels on behalf of itself, British Antarctic Territory, SouthGeorgia & the South Sandwich Islands, and the FalklandIslands. In the Falkland Islands, the coincidence in timing withthe adoption by Falkland Island Government of a National Planof Action for Seabirds is mutually supportive.

The Forum is still urging HMG to make the necessaryadjustments to legislation, if this is required, for Tristan daCunha to be added to the ratification. Also the Forum wouldlike to encourage HMG to take steps to implement theAgreement involving all the relevant UKOTs in Conferencesof the Parties.

UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum: www.ukotcf.org

Team of volunteers who removed long line from thecoast of Ascension

Rockhopper penguinson New Island

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Tristan da Cunha penguinsIn April 2003, 73 pairs of rockhopper penguins, IUCN red-listedas a vulnerable species, were captured in Tristan da Cunha. Thebirds were captured by a South African businessman, who thenshipped the birds to various zoos in Malaysia, China and Japan.The Forum had contacted FCO at the time, but as no internationallaw was being broken, once the decision had been made it couldnot be rescinded. Tristan had decided to sell the penguins in orderto help fund the restoration work needed after a hurricane had hitthe island in 2002.This incident has highlighted the necessity to seek wider-rangingadvice on matters relating to wildlife and conservation issues. Inaddition, it has underlined the need for this advice to take intoaccount the general commitments, such as under the Conventionon Biological Diversity and the Environment Charters, and notsimply those, such as CITES, covering restricted aspects in lists.There have been no accurate counts done on the rockhopperpopulations on Tristan da Cunha since the 1970s and, sincerockhoppers are showing a serious decline in other areas, it couldnot be assumed that the Tristan population was stable. This wasamong the issues currently being addressed by the RSPB-run Dar-win Initiative project on Tristan da Cunha.The Forum is seeking assurances that such an issue will not hap-pen again, and that a procedure is in place for adequate consulta-tion in the decision-making process as this incident has highlightedthe lack of an established system of contacts and consultations.HMG recognises the concern this event has caused. As far as theUK was aware, the decision did not breach any international ordomestic legislation. Nonetheless, it is important to learn from theincident to make sure that any future decisions are based on thebest advice and information available. To this end a set of guide-lines is being prepared. Tristan da Cunha is aware of the concernssurrounding this incident and wishes to avoid such actions in thefuture.UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum: www.ukotcf.org

The HerpetologicalConservation Trust

The Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT), which has recentlyjoined the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum, is aregistered charity specialising in the conservation of threatenedamphibians and reptiles and their habitats. Established in 1989 inBournemouth, on the south coast of England, the HCT’s primaryfocus has been the protection and management of lowland heathlandand sand dunes, two of the most valuable habitats for rare Britishherpetofauna. The HCT currently owns or leases 81 reserves inthe UK that incorporate significant areas of these habitats, alongwith their nationally important reptile and amphibian populations,and also conducts extensive surveys, research and habitatmanagement elsewhere in the country.

The HCT is lead or joint partner on all UK Biodiversity ActionPlans for rare herpetofauna species, including marine turtles.Working closely with the statutory bodies English Nature, theCountryside Council for Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage, andin partnership with many other wildlife NGOs, the HCT thereforeplays a significant role in influencing UK Government conservationpolicies.

The HCT has long been involved in Europe through its work onthe European Habitats Forum, the Societas Europaea HerpetologicaConservation Committee and the IUCN Species Survival Groupfor European Herpetofauna. These activities have enabled the Trustto participate in the workings of international agreements andlegislation, including the Bern Convention and the EU HabitatsDirective. HCT’s specialist knowledge and expertise have alsoled to increasingly important contracts in Europe and these includethe writing of various Species Action Plans commissioned by theCouncil of Europe, as well as a major book on the ImportantHerpetofaunal Areas of Europe for the Dutch Government (tocoincide with its forthcoming European Union presidency).

More recently, the HCT has become associated with projects inthe UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. The maininvolvement to date has been on Jersey, where the Trust has beenworking on conservation projects for the agile frog Rana dalmatinaand the western green lizard Lacerta bilineata for several years.Jersey is the only natural location for these species in the BritishIsles and HCT work has included practical habitat management,input into action plans and regular surveys and monitoring.

Following the Conservation Forum’s 2003 Bermuda conference,which the author was fortunate enough to attend, the Trust has alsobeen assisting with the production of a Species Action Plan for theBermuda skink Eumeces longirostris, one of the most endangeredendemic species in the UK Overseas Territories. As a new memberof the Conservation Forum, the HCT will no doubt become moreheavily involved with the conservation of threatened amphibiansand reptiles in the UK Overseas Territories and is always happy to

give advice on herpetological matters to other organisations andForum members.Paul Edgar is Rare Species Conservation Officer for theThe Herpetological Conservation Trust655a Christchurch Road, Boscombe, BournemouthDorset, BH1 4AP, UK Tel: +44 1202 391319E-mail: paul.edgar@herpconstrust.org.ukThe HCT web site is at: www.herpconstrust.org.uk

Bermuda skink Eumeces longirostris

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This important review was announced in Forum News 24. It followsmany years of voluntary work by the Forum in promoting theConvention on Wetlands of International Importance in the UKOverseas Territories.

The project has a very tight schedule, from the beginning of Januaryto the final report in November. In developing a timetable to fulfilthe project requirements, particular attention was given to the factthat the work depends on the voluntary co-operation of many busypeople throughout the Territories and UK. Securing these responsesdepends strongly on the long history of mutual respect built upbetween the Forum and its partners in the Territories.

The Forum was anxious to start the first round of consultations.Therefore, in the last 8 days of December, after the contract invitationhad been received from Defra (the UK Government Departmentwhich leads on Ramsar matters), abackground note was prepared tointroduce the project. Toaccompany this, a separate firstconsultation document wasprepared for each of the 18 UKOverseas Territories and CrownDependencies involved. Eachdocument summarised existinginformation on priority wetlandtypes and other principal features ofinterest in the relevant territory, aswell as the coverage of these insofaras known, in the designated sites andothers which have been proposedat various times. Consultation lists(including governmental, NGO andother personnel) were compiledfrom the Forum network, andconsultees invited to comment on the initial draft documents, bythe end of January. The draft documents were checked withcolleagues in Defra and FCO. The latter requested that theconsultation be used also to advise Governors, Administrators orCommissioners, as appropriate. The consultations were despatchedby email on 31 December 2003.

The responses to the initial round and other discussions suggestedthat the timing of the detailed second round should be varied greatlyfor different territories, bearing in mind the nature of initialresponses, opportunities for visits for other reasons, the degree ofnovelty in some of the issues raised and needs to investigateapproaches to these in other parts of the world, amongst others.

Although the specification (and funding!) for the project did notinclude visits to the UKOTs, the Forum is taking the opportunityof visits for other work, to strengthen this project. Visits to theFalkland Islands and the Turks & Caicos, as well as the Forum’s2003 conference in Bermuda and follow-on contacts from there,have allowed the bringing together of several of the keygovernmental and NGO personnel to discuss the range of sitesand information on them, as well as addressing particular issues.This proved invaluable in making rapid progress in three of the

Review of existing and potential Ramsar sites in UK OverseasTerritories and Crown Dependencies

territories with the largest areas of wetlands or most potential sites.Other opportunities will be taken to pursue such an approach duringthe year, for St Helena and Ascension, as well as some of the CrownDependencies.

The second and later stages of the review use the RamsarInformation Sheet (RIS) format, as an efficient way of collatinginformation. A major activity has been to collate, analyse and editthe material from the various sources into RIS format for themajority of the potential sites and the updates for existing sites, toidentify gaps in information and to consult partners, especially interritories. By late May, draft RIS had been assembled (with manygaps for further information to be collated) for all presently identifiedsites for all but one territory. Linkage was achieved with theImportant Bird Areas exercise (for which the Ramsar project leader

is a voluntary author for oneTerritory), and information isbeing exchanged for severalterritories.

This work continues. Integratedwith this will be the pursuingof information, relating mainlyto existing Ramsar sites, neededin 2004 for UK’s report to theRamsar Conference of theParties 2005.

The project is progressing wellfor most territories, and theForum is grateful to the manypeople who have helped. For afew territories, responses havebeen slower, and we urge thosewith information for these (aswell as some organisations

holding specialist information for several territories) to find timeto contribute. Experience throughout the world has found theRamsar Convention to be an effective mechanism for successfulconservation and sustainable use – but it is important to do thispreparatory work so that these tools are available when threatsappear to the sites.Any offers of information please to Mike Pienkowski:pienkowski@cix.co.uk

As Forum News goes to press, confirmation wasreceived that Gough Island World Heritage Site inTristan da Cunha has been expanded and renamed asthe Gough and Inaccessible Islands WHS.

The Management Plan for Henderson Island WorldHeritage Site, in the Pitcairn group has been publishedand is now available on the Forum’s web-sitewww.ukotcf.org

World Heritage Issues

The Southeast Coast of Jersey is designated as aRamsar Convention Wetland of

International Importance

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The Overseas Territories Environment Programme(OTEP) is a joint programme of the Department forInternational Development (DFID) and Foreign andCommonwealth Office (FCO) to supportimplementation of the Environment Charters andenvironmental management more generally in all theUK’s Overseas Territories. The Charters were signedjointly by the UK and UKOT governments in September2001. They set out (in a common format) a range ofpolicy objectives and undertakings entered into by theUKOTs and HMG, with emphasis on the effectiveimplementation of the Multilateral EnvironmentAgreements (MEA) to enable HMG and the UKOTs tomeet their respective obligations.

This programme will provide £3mup to March 2007. Bids against theprogramme budget for projectfunding will be accepted fromOverseas Territories’ governments,NGOs, community-basedorganisations, individuals,educational institutions and theprivate sector. Bids may also besubmitted by UK-basedorganisations, NGOs and academicinstitutions provided that they havebeen developed in collaborationwith partners in the territories. Bidswill be assessed on a competitivebasis, against published selectioncriteria, by a panel of independentspecialists. Technical support maybe provided for project preparation, where needed.

The goal of the programme is to enhance the qualityof life and livelihood opportunities for the inhabitantsof all of the UKOTs through the sustainable use (orprotection, where necessary) of environmental andnatural resources, whilst securing global environmentalbenefits within the scope of the core principles of therelevant multilateral environmental agreements (MEA).It will assist the island communities in taking ownershipof and responsibility for the issues, by helping them toassess problems and to promote sustainable solutionsto them through national strategic planning processesand action at the local level.

By the end of the current programme in March 2007,both HMG and most, if not all, of the UKOTs should beable to demonstrate that measurable progress hasbeen made towards meeting their respectivecommitments to the Environment Charter process andto achievement of wider environmental goals. OTEPwill facilitate this through the provision of advice,

support, and a source of funding for projects.

The programme will build upon and augment theearlier FCO Overseas Territories Environment Fund.It will also activate the DFID commitment in the 1999White Paper: Partnerships for Progress andProsperity: Britain and the Overseas Territories to‘provide additional assistance to the poorer territoriesin addressing global environmental concerns’. It willwork within the framework of the UKOTEnvironmental Charters; and it will benefit from a jointapproach between DFID and FCO, with effectivepooling of their resources.

The geographical scope of OTEP will cover all thoseUKOTs that have signed Environment Charters1 , plusGibraltar and British Antarctic Territory.

The programme will be managed jointly by DFIDOverseas Territories Department and the FCOEnvironment Policy Department (working closelywith FCO Overseas Territories Department)supported by a London-based managementcommittee. This committee will interface withnational focal points and steering committees in theUKOTs (including through governors’,administrators’, or commissioners’ offices),

Overseas Territories Environment Programme

1 Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, CaymanIslands, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos Islands, FalklandIslands, South Georgia and the South SandwichIslands, St Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan daCunha, British Indian Ocean Territory, PitcairnIslands.

Ministers and Councillors from UKOTs with HMG Ministersin FCO at the launch of OTEP

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as appropriate. Other government departments willbe consulted according to their respectivecompetences and capacity to provide technical inputand other resources. The Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and theJoint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) areinvolved.

The UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (anumbrella NGO for a wide range of environmentalNGOs, special interest groups, and UK centres ofexcellence in fields relevant to the programme2 ) hasbeen closely involved in FCO-funded initiatives to date.The Forum, as well as its member organisations andworking groups, will remain actively engaged underthe programme. The Forum, for example, wasinvolved closely in the consultation process leadingup to the establishment of OTEP. There already is amechanism for liaison between the Forum and HMGthrough six-monthly meetings.

OTEP hopes to build on earlier work funded by FCO’sEnvironment Policy Department. The new FCOcontribution to OTEP comes from its GlobalOpportunities Fund. The DFID contribution will befrom the DFID UKOT regional budget line.

OTEP was launched by FCO and DFID Ministers inDecember 2003 at the annual Overseas TerritoriesConsultative Council. Speaking at the launch of theProgramme, Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary UnderSecretary at DFID, said: “The Overseas Territoriesembrace a rich and diverse heritage of naturalenvironments. It is the duty of us all to protect andconserve this heritage for the benefit not only of theTerritories themselves, but also for future generationsand the world as a whole. Good environmentalconservation practice brings its own benefits andrewards in terms of sensible and sustainable economicdevelopment.”

Chief Minister Michael Misick of the Turks and CaicosIslands welcomed the pooling of FCO and DFIDresources for the benefit of environmental work in theOverseas Territories, saying “This funding reflects thepartnership on the ground between the TCIDepartment of Environment & Coastal Resources andthe TCI National Trust, which has been reaffirmedthrough the TCI’s implementation of the EnvironmentCharters. The Department and the Trust have in thepast received project development support from DFIDand the Forum. It is hoped that OTEP will continue to

assist the coordination and prioritisation ofenvironment projects in the TCI.”

The first OTEP bidding round has now concluded.The OTEP Management Committee received 37project proposals in the first bidding round, from awide range of project applicants including UKOTgovernments, UK and UKOT-based NGOs,community-based organisations in the UKOTs, andUK and UKOT educational institutions. The overallstandard of proposal was high, with manydemonstrating good local consultation andstakeholder support in the UKOTs, as well as theability to meet the OTEP criteria, namely:

2 For example: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Zoological Society of London,CAB International, Flora and Fauna International, UNEPWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre, National Trust, WorldWide Fund for Nature, British Ecological Society, BritishOrnithologists’ Union, member organisations in the UKOTsand various geographical working groups.

implementing the Environment Charter fortheTerritory, including the development ofstrategies and action plans where necessary;meeting the Territory’s obligations under thoseMultilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs)extended to it, and preparing for possible futureextensions;building environmental management capacity inthe Territory; andraising awareness of environmental issues;promoting participation by civil society indecisions affecting the environment; andsupporting environmental education in theTerritory.

All project proposals received by the OTEP secretariatwere assessed by a nine-person selection panelcomprising: officials from FCO, DFID, Defra and theJoint Nature Conservation Committee; specialists fromUK academic and scientific institutions, andconsultancies; and representatives of the NGOcommunity through UKOTCF. A wide range ofenvironmental disciplines was represented on thepanel, and all members had specific UKOT expertiseand experience.

The following pages summarise the initial batch ofsuccessful applications to date. An additional group ofapplications were invited to undertake further work ontheir proposals and to resubmit them for considerationby OTEP in June 2004. These include projects inAnguilla, British Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, SouthGeorgia & South Sandwich Islands, and St Helena,together with three cross-territory projects on climatechange, marine turtles and the next OverseasTerritories Environment Conference proposed for 2006.As we go to press, support for these projects wasconfirmed, and summaries will appear in the next issue.

UKOTCF is providing a Communication Strategy forOTEP, and this is the first of a series of supplementsto Forum News as part of this initiative. Although ForumNews itself is under the editorial control of UKOTCF,the content of this supplement is as agreed byUKOTCF with FCO and DFID.

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Overseas Territories Environment Programme- Initial Successful Projects 2004

Anguilla: Technical assistance for draftigenvironmental/conservation legislation that will enableaffordable and appropriate Multilateral EnvironmentalAgreements to be extended to Anguilla.

The aim of the project is to develop a comprehensivepiece of environmental/conservation legislation forAnguilla while at the same time providing training of locallegal professionals in the drafting of environmentallegislation that is as consistent as possible with regionaland international environmental legal norms.

The information generated will allow Anguilla to assessthe appropriateness of existing environmental legislationand steer the path for Anguilla to prioritise legislativedrafting according to the needs.

Mr. Karim V.D. Hodge, Director of Environment, ChiefMinister’s Office, Government of Anguilla, P O Box 60,The Valley, Anguilla BWI Tel: + 1 264-497-2518

Fax: 264-497-3389 karim.hodge@gov.ai

Ascension Island: Developing and initiating theimplementation of Ascension’s first NationalPark Management Plan.

This project seeks to develop and initiate theimplementation of a management plan for the proposedGreen Mountain National Park. It will focus on publicawareness and endemic plant protection and restoration,and will be a pilot project for the management of futureprotected areas on Ascension.

Green Mountain, a site of natural beauty and an importanthabitat for 5 of Ascension’s 6 endemic species of plantswill be made more accessible to the public; have its wildendemic plant colonies protected; and have a nurseryestablished. With a complementary public awarenesscampaign, the management of Green Mountain will assistin promoting the concept of, reasons for, and benefits ofProtected Areas on Ascension.

Tara George, Ascension Island GovernmentConservation Officer, Conservation Office,Georgetown, Ascension ASCN IZZ, South AtlanticOcean +247 6359 conservation@atlantis.co.uk

Ascension Island: Securing local ownership forlong term Seabird Restoration on Ascension

Ascension Island Government, with FCO and RSPBsupport are concluding the first phase of the mostambitious seabird restoration programme to date. Theferal cat eradication programme has a high internationalprofile. It is the first time that such a programme hasbeen attempted on an island with a domestic populationof cats. Although there are a few remaining cats to beremoved, seabird nesting success on the mainland isalready increasing. To date the project has required theexpertise of consultants, which has limited theinvolvement of the local community and hence localownership on which the long-term success of the projectdepends.

The project will transfer responsibility for the project fromexternal consultants to local staff, and the localcommunity. This will be done by training 2 local peopleto replace the consultant project staff, and increase thewhole community’s awareness of the project and thebenefits it can bring to the island.

Tara George, Ascension Island Conservation Officer,Conservation Centre, Georgetown, Ascension IslandASCN IZZ, South Atlantic Ocean + 247 6359conservation@atlantis.co.uk

Bermuda: Management Guidelines for Bermuda’sWoodlands: A practical field guide

Produce a practicalfield guide for themanagement ofprivate and publiclyowned woodland.The field guide willinclude topics suchas; habitat definition;typical problemssuffered bywoodlands; theplanning process;plant propagation;what to plant where;saving damagedtrees; plantingmethods; plantidentification andexample schemes.

The field guide will be

Road Salt Pond, Anguilla

Bermuda palmetto

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produced by the Bermuda Botanical Society andpublished as a resource for Government departmentsand promoted from its headquarters in the BotanicalGardens.

Drew Pettit (Secretary), Bermuda Botanical Society(BBS), Parks Office, #169 South Road, Paget, DV04, Tel:+1 (441) 236-4201 ext 211 Fax: +1 (441) 236-3711apettit@govbm

British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT):Conservation Leaflet(Covering the geographical area of the Chagos archipelago)

Production, printing and selective distribution of a leafletwhich will give information and raise awareness about theimportance of BIOT’s environment and the need to protectit. The leaflet will be aimed at both people residing in, orvisiting, BIOT and at people elsewhere who could contributeto the conservation of the Chagos Archipelago’s ecology.

The Chagos Conservation Trust (CCT), 29 Champion Hill,London, SE5 8AC, UK Tel: +44 207 7387712SimonHughes@hughes-mccomack.co.uk

British Virgin Islands: Mangrove WetlandInterpretive CentreThis proposal will build upon the previously FCO-fundedproject. This plan will form the centrepiece of theParaquita Bay Mangrove Wetland Preservation Project.The objective is to educate students, the general publicand tourists about the importance of mangrove wetlandsand the necessity for their preservation via displays,educational programmes and contact with theenvironment.The construction of a Mangrove Wetland InterpretiveCentre will serve as the focal point for disseminatinginformation regarding the importance of the habitats. TheCentre will house displays and information related tomangrove wetlands and be used for teacher trainingworkshops and other educational activities. The existingboardwalk will be extended and an overlook added togive a panoramic view of the lagoon. Signs and displayswill augment the educational experience. Four teacherworkshops will launch the educational programmes.

Clive Petrovic, Principal Lecturer, Head of Department,Centre for Applied Marine Studies H. Lavity StouttCommunity College, Paraquita Bay Campus, RoadTown, Tortola, British Virgin Islands Phone +1 284-494-4994 Fax + 1 284-494-4996cpetrovic@hlscc.edu.vg

British Virgin Islands: Assessment & ImprovedManagement of New and Existing MarineProtected Areas in the British Virgin Islands

This proposal will assess the efficacy of the BVI’s existingMarine Conservation Programme (MCP), and developways to improve it. The BVI National Parks Trust currentlyhas a proposed system of Marine Protected Areas(MPAs) and aims to determine (a) whether these arerepresentative of all marine habitats within the BVI that

require protection, especially habitats of criticalimportance, (b) how well are the MPAs performing andtheir effectiveness on the marine environment andstakeholder use through the acquisition of baselineecological data and, (c) what adaptive managementpractices are required to ensure the Trust’s ability toconserve, manage or restore these key marine habitats?This will also require the creation of a management planthat will integrate scientific data acquired throughmonitoring for long-term habitat conservation with thedaily management activities required for sustainablestakeholder use.

Joseph Smith Abbott, Director, BVI National Parks Trust,P O Box 860, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin IslandsTel: +1 284-494-3904 / 2069, Fax: +1 284-494-6383director@bvinationalparkstrust.org

Cayman Islands: Red List assessment of CaymanIslands’ native flora for legislation andconservation planning

New environmental legislation being drafted for the CaymanIslands requires lists of species of conservation concern, tobenefit from protective measures appropriate to their levelof threat. Although extensive information is available on theflora of the Cayman Islands, no assessment of the nativespecies and their conservation status has been performed,so appropriate plant species tabulations for legislativepurposes do not exist. This project will generate acomprehensive Red List assessment of the Cayman nativeflora, mainstreaming existing and new data into locallegislation, and also identifying those species in need ofurgent conservation management.

Mrs. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Director, Department ofEnvironment, P.O. Box 486 GT, Grand Cayman, CaymanIslands Tel: +1 (345) 949-8469 Fax: +1 (345) 949-4020Gina.Ebanks-Petrie@gov.ky

BVI coral reef

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Falkland Islands: Falkland Islands Albatrossand Petrel Conservation ProgrammeTo achieve compliance as outlined in the Agreement forthe Conservation of Albatross and Petrels. This includesconducting censuses, trialing and implementingmitigation devices to reduce at-sea mortality throughfishing, international information sharing andimplementation of National Plan of Action-Seabirds,management planning for breeding and feeding areas,raising awareness including educating fishers, preventingdisturbance by tourist activities and introduced pesteradication from key sites. A long-term demographicstudy will be initiated to monitor these populations overthe long term.

St Helena: Facilitation of the development of astrategy for action to implement the EnvironmentCharterThis project combines the start made locally on St Helena(led by the Environment Planning and DevelopmentSection and the Environmental Advisory ConsultativeForum, with informal advice from UKOTCF) with theexperience gained by UKOTCF in facilitating the strategydevelopment in the pilot study in Turks & Caicos Islands,to achieve a first completed strategy for action toimplement the Environment Charter for St Helena. Theproject has also the wider benefit of providing the firsttest application to another UK Overseas Territory (in avery different situation) of the guidelines developed bythe TCI pilot study.

Implementation will be by the EPD Section of St Helenaworking with Dr Mike Pienkowski and UKOTCF.

Miss I J Peters, Environmental Co-ordinator, EnvironmentPlanning and Development (EPD) Section, Developmentand Economic Planning Department, 1 Main Street,Jamestown,St Helena Island, STHL 1ZZ Tel/Fax: + 2902105 isabel@sainthelena.gov.sh

Cayman Islands: Development of Coastal NutrientMonitoring CapacityThe project will implement a coastal water qualitymonitoring programme that will allow an assessment ofthe extent of nutrient enrichment in Cayman’s coastalenvironment and an evaluation of the impacts on thesurrounding marine environment, in particular coral reefs.In addition, results and insights gained will be used toguide the development of marine water quality standardsas well as contribute to an assessment of theeffectiveness of current sewage and wastewater disposaland treatment methods. The project will result in thedevelopment of a Caribbean Overseas Territories centreof excellence in monitoring and evaluation of the impactsof coastal nutrients.

Mrs. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Director, Department ofEnvironment, P.O. Box 486 GT,Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Tel: +1 (345) 949-8469Fax: +1 (345) 949-4020 Gina.Ebanks-Petrie@gov.ky

In addition, the project aims to halt or slow the decline ofthe Black-browed Albatross (Endangered) and increaseknowledge of Falklands populations of the SouthernGiant Petrel (Vulnerable), White-chinned Petrel(Vulnerable) and other petrels.

Ann Brown, Company Secretary, FalklandsConservation, 1, Princes Avenue, London N3 2DA, UKPhone / Fax +44 208 343 0831 ann@falklands-nature.demon.co.ukFalklands Conservation, Jetty Centre, Stanley, FalklandIslands, Phone +500 22247 fax +500 22288conservation@horizon.co.fk

St Helena: A Protected Area Plan for StHelena’s Central Peaks(The Peaks are considered to be Diana’s Peak NationalPark (DPNP) and the ridges outside of the Park, includingHigh Peak, Mt Vesey and the Depot).

The project will result in the formulation and publicationof a protected area plan for the Peaks. Communication,consultation and educational campaigns will be carriedout to facilitate stakeholder involvement and stimulatepublic support and participation. Baseline data, essentialfor decision-making, will be collected for invertebratesand lower plants and for those ferns and flowering plantswhere gaps in our understanding of their ecology orbiology exist. Preliminary remedial action will be takento prevent the loss of key species within the fragments oftree fern forest and new techniques will be identified

Cayman Central Mangrove Wetland

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a monitoring protocol appended to the InaccessibleManagement Plan and Biodiversity Action Plan currentlyunder preparation. Censuses and monitoring protocolswill be developed for three other globally threatenedseabirds on Inaccessible. A search will be made for apotential second population of SPs on Tristan da Cunha.Parallel work will be conducted with Brazilian colleagueson longlining in Brazilian waters, where SPs are at risk.Capacity for biodiversity monitoring on Tristan and localcontrol of the Inaccessible Management Plan will begreatly increased.

Dr Geoff M Hilton, The RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds,SG19 2DL, UK T: +44 1767 680551; F: +44 1767 683211geoff.hilton@rspb.org.uk

and implemented for controlling alien invasive plants onvertical slopes where it is currently impossible.

The St Helena National Trust is the organisationimplementing the project. It will be working in closecollaboration with the project stakeholders and principallywith the Environmental Conservation Section of theAgriculture and Natural Resources Department, theGovernment sector responsible for terrestrial habitat &species conservation.

Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks, President, St Helena NationalTrust, Broadway House, Jamestown, St Helena Island,STHL 1ZZ Tel/fax + 290 2190 sth.nattrust@helanta.sh

Turks and Caicos Islands: Completion of the initialimplementation stage of the Plan for BiodiversityManagement and Sustainable Development aroundthe Turks and Caicos Ramsar Site.

The TCI contains a huge ‘Wetland of InternationalImportance’ designated under the Ramsar Convention.The TC National Trust and the UKOTCF, working withthe local communities, developed a Plan for BiodiversityManagement and Sustainable Development aroundTurks & Caicos Ramsar Site which lays out the meansto develop an appropriate-scale ecotourism industry topreserve both the environmental resources and thehuman communities. Residents would run tourism-related businesses and The Plan lays out in detail theinfrastructure needed to attract visitors.

Work on the first set of guided trails and controlled access tothe cave systems is in hand and a building for an Ecocentrehas been secured. The present proposal addresses theremaining elements for the initial phase: developing thecapacity to establish management of all the Middle Caicosfacilities; fitting out the Ecocentre for management, scientificstudy, interpretation and education; training of local guides,travel and subsistence for unpaid specialist experts and fieldcamps for senior local students.

Turks and Caicos National Trust, with the support of theUK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum. Contact: DrMike Pienkowski, UK Overseas Territories Conservation102 Broadway, Peterborough, PE1 4DG, UK Tel/fax + 441 733 569 e-mail pienkowski@cix.co.uk

Turks and Caicos National Trust, Executive DirectorEthlyn Gibbs-Williams, PO Box 540, Providenciales,Turks and Caicos Islands Tel + 1 649 941 5710Fax + 1 449 941 4258 tc.nattrust@tciway.tc

Tristan da Cunha: Assessing the conservation statusof the critically threatened spectacled petrel

A repeat census of the critically endangered spectacledpetrel (SP) on Inaccessible Island will be conducted, and

Tristan da Cunha: Conservation Management ofNightingale Island

Nightingale Island is one of the most important breedingsites for seabirds in the Southern Ocean. The project willproduce a management plan for Nightingale and willimplement the practical conservation work of the plan.

Nightingale is the main wildlife site visited by tourists toTristan da Cunha, and the project aims to maximise theincome to Tristan from wildlife tourism, at the same timeinforming and publicising the conservation importanceof Nightingale.

A seabird monitoring programme will be established onNightingale which will help to achieve compliance withthe Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses andPetrels. A long term study of key bird species will beinitiated to monitor population trends over the long term.

James Glass, Head, Natural Resources Department,Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic TDCU 1ZZTel: + 871 682 087 155 Fax: + 871 682 087 158hmg@cunha.demon.co.uk

Shearwaters near Nightingale Island

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A voyage of discovery at ChelseaFlower Show

the local community and authorities the pros and cons of acontrol programme.Colin Clubbe c.clubbe@kew.orgRaymond Walker spiceray@hotmail.com

The crowds at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show enjoyed avoyage of discovery; getting a glimpse of how a 19th Centuryexplorer might have felt on seeing an undiscovered island forthe first time. This silver gilt winning stand by Royal BotanicGardens Kew and Eden Project was funded by the MillenniumCommission Lottery.

The Treasure Islands’ exhibit featured a sailing ship alongsidea tropical isle, showcasing the unique plants and flowers ofthe British Virgin Islands and the Seychelles. It highlightedthe Darwin Initiative-funded work that Kew and Eden aredoing to help conserve them, by looking back into history andforward to the future.

Colin Clubbe, head of conservation and higher education inKew’s herbarium, said “Effective conservation and the DarwinInitiative are all about collaboration and partnership, and that’sexactly what is demonstrated in this exhibit and theconservation work that it portrays. Small islands are particularlyvulnerable to change and are under great pressure from bothnatural and man-made activities. Everyone has a role to playand, if we harness this effectively, then the islands’ florasexhibited on the exhibit should still be fascinating people inthe 22nd Century”.

Juliet Rose, Forum Council member, who also helped on theexhibit will be giving a talk on the floral attributes of St Helenalater this year at the Eden Project in Cornwall.Colin Clubbe, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: c.clubbe@kew.orgor visit www.kew.orgJuliet Rose,juliet.rose@reading.ac.uk or Eden Projectwww.edenproject.comMore detailed information about the Darwin Initiative can befound on their website www.darwin.gov.uk

Highs and lows of botanical fieldwork in BVIA rare plant has become a little less rare as a result ofbotanical fieldwork recently completed on Anegada in theBritish Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the Darwin InitiativeAssessment of the Coastal Biodiversity of Anegada.Malpighia woodburyana (Malpighiaceae) is a small tree,with nasty irritating hairs, that is endemic to the PuertoRican Bank and referred to as “bulldog” on Anegada. Priorto the discovery of a thriving population of 74 on Anegadain 2002 during the previous Darwin project, it was knownfrom approximately 50 individuals from scatteredpopulations on 9 islands across the Puerto Rican Bank.Intensive fieldwork across Anegada discovered severalclusters of individuals which more than doubled the known

A n e g a d apopulation andincreased theknown worldpopulation byapproximately61%. Wec u r r e n t l yestimate thew o r l dpopulation ofthis species tobe 148in d iv id u a lswhich rates it asEn d an g e r e d

under the IUCN Red List Categories. Anegada supports79% of the world’s population of bulldog, but there maystill be more to be found out there.

Disregarding thethreats from theirritating hairs,Raymond Walkerrecently collected aspecimen of bulldogand has established it inthe JR O’Neal BotanicGarden in Tortola aspart of our programmeto get all the threatenedspecies into cultivation.

On the down side a newand worrying invasive alien plant has been identified forthe first time on Anegada. Scaevola sericea is a vigorouscoastal shrub originating from the Indo-Pacific. Thoughtto have been introduced to Florida and the Caribbean as alandscaping plant, it produces numerous fruits that havelong viability in sea water, but germinate only in freshwater such as when washed up on to the shore on a rainyday. Evidence from Florida indicates that it out-competesthe native coastal vegetation and may be ousting the nativeScaevola plumieri, also found on Anegada. So far thereare not many individuals; we have documented fewer than20. We will be monitoring this species and discussing with

Tim Smit, (right) talking to Peter Crane, Director of Kew,and Colin Clubbe talking to Elliot Morley Minister forthe Environment, and David Ingram, Chairman of the

Darwin Initiative.

Raymond Walker (BVI NationalParks Trust) and Antonia Eastwood(Kew) evaluating Scaevola sericea

on the north coast of Anegada.

Scaevola sericea ,showing characteristic

white berries

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The guidelines for other UK Overseas Territories, basedon the Forum’s pilot project (see Forum News 24), werepublished on the Forum’s web-site in February(www.ukotcf.org: click “Environmt Charter” on the mainside-menu, and then “Strategy Devel” on the sub-menu).The guidelines are not a recipe book but a guide forfacilitators to use in each Territory in its individual treatmentof its Environment Charter, and thereby potentially greatlyreduce the work involved.

This project had been part-funded by FCO, and supportedby the Government of Turks & Caicos Islands, in co-operation with other local stakeholders. The strategy waslocally developed, but guided by Forum facilitators DaceGround and Mike Pienkowski.

In January, Mike Pienkowski had visited Falkland Islands,which was at an earlier stage in a comparable process, whichhad itself received earlier informal advice from theUKOTCF/TCI pilot. The purpose of the visit was tocompare the approach being adopted in the work startingthere, and to advise on this. Staff of the EnvironmentPlanning Department and of Falklands Conservation, aswell as other conservation and other organisations andindividuals, were very helpful. Meetings were held withdirectors and senior staff of several government departmentsand the Governor and Deputy Governor. The Governorkindly hosted a dinner to assist further with this. A half-dayseminar was held to explain the Forum, the background tothe Charters, the TCI pilot strategy development, and theapproach getting underway in the Falklands. This was wellattended at senior level by government departments, NGO,Councillors, and the Falkland Islands Chief Executive andEconomist. Denise Dudgeon of FCO Environment PolicyDepartment, whose brief visit coincided with this, alsoattended the workshop. The Forum visit was reported onlocal radio several times, including a fairly lengthyinterview.

The Forum and its member organisations have encouragedprogress in various UKOTs towards the development ofstrategies for action to implement the Environment Charters.Bermuda had already developed a Biodiversity Strategy andAction Plan (see the Proceedings of the Bermuda conferenceon the Forum’s web-site for a summary of this process).Work is in progress also through the Darwin Initiative-funded RSPB project in Tristan da Cunha. UKOTCF hadalso taken opportunities to make preliminary investigationsinto the potentials for strategy development in uninhabitedUKOTs, such as South Georgia and the South SandwichIslands.

Advice has continued to be given in response to enquiriesfrom other UKOTs, most notably St Helena, who haverequested further assistance with their strategy development.This was the subject of St Helena’s top priority proposal toOTEP in the current round. This application was successful,and the project will be conducted during the current year. Itis being investigated whether some assistance to Ascension

Guidelines published on developing strategies for action to implementthe Environment Charters - and in use already

The Eagle Owl returns The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Societyhas given details of the highlights of the spring 2004 seasonin relation to bird migration as it draws to a close andsummer sets in.

The bird ringing station at Jews’ Gate has been mannedthroughout the spring and interesting birds ringed haveincluded an African Chaffinch. Also caught andsubsequently released was an Indigo Bunting, a NorthAmerican species.

The monitoring of soaring prey passage has resulted in a

could also be given incidentally to this.

The Forum has been a driving force in the EnvironmentCharter process. This stage of adoption of a strategy by aUKOT government, and the production of generalguidelines to widen the reaching of this position, mark amajor achievement in this important exercise.Further information from Mike Pienkowski:pienkowski@cix.co.uk

Eagle Owl

total of 22921, of which 14386 were Honey Buzzards.

On land the presence of a Common Magpie for a few daysat Catalan Bay was an interesting curiosity, while the firstrecorded successful nesting in Gibraltar of the WhiteWagtail was also noteworthy. These birds, common herein winter, nested in the area of West View Park, confirmingthe importance of creating new green areas in ourdevelopments.

But the absolute highlight has been the re-establishmentin Gibraltar, after an absence of at least one hundred years,of the Eagle Owl. A male has been present throughout thespring, and there is a possibility that the species nested atan undisclosed location on the Upper Rock. Earlier thisweek, GONHS released a female Eagle Owl that had beenrehabilitated in an attempt to increase the local populationand aid the re-establishment of this fascinating species. The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society PO Box843, Gibraltar Tel +350 72639 Fax +350 74022 press@gonhs,org

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As this issue of Forum News goes to press (July 2004), theTurks & Caicos National Trust opened the first set of field-roads developed in a joint project with the Forum, andsupported by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. A“field-road” is a trail or path cut through the bush,traditionally used to reach fields of crops, fishing areas,wells, or other important sites. We are keeping this localterm in use for the heritage trails.

This forms part of the Plan for Biodiversity Managementand Sustainable Development around Turks & CaicosRamsar Site (available at www.ukotcf.org), developed bythe Trust, the Forum and Forum member organisationCABI, with part-funding from the Darwin Initiative. Thebackground to this programme was most recently outlinedin Forum News 24. Thisreported also the decisionof Turks & CaicosGovernment to supportthis programme by thetransfer to the Trust, tosafeguard for the country,of lands on which thesefield-roads are situatedand a building for anenvironmental centre.

The field-roads areintended to provide thepart of the infrastructure tounderlie the developmentby the local community oflow-intensity tourism,which is based on theglobally importantwildlife and other aspectsof the heritage – but alsoprovide the means toconserve these for future generations.

The first two field-roads, on Middle Caicos, were openedby the Hon Jeffrey Hall (Member of the LegislativeAssembly for Middle Caicos and Minister in theGovernment). He said “As we celebrate today, I wish toremind you to enjoy the plants and animal life that areindigenous to Middle Caicos. We want to share these withmany more generations of people – islanders and visitorsalike. I wish publicly to thank the National Trust – allpersons connected, past and present – for the work theyhave put into making this a reality. Middle Caicos will notforget your act of love to us and we pledge not to destroy orcompromise your efforts. Neither would we allow anyperson to destroy what we have worked hard to achieve allthese years.”

The trails have been carefully cleared of obstacles withoutdamaging the natural vegetation or losing their character.Numbered markers are keyed to the laminated booklets withinterpretative information. The programme has throughoutworked with the local community, and local guides are being

trained to take visitors along the field-roads.

Haulover Plantation Field-Road is a short (less than 1 km)walk through recovering tropical dry forest full of wildlife,to the foundations of the largest plantation buildings onMiddle Caicos. Viewing platforms, built by local craftsmen,allow views over the structures, to mangrove ponds andalong the coast to neighbouring East Caicos.

The Conch Bar to Indian Cave Field-Road interprets partof the traditional Crossing Place Trail. This was the oldfoot route linking the Caicos Islands before moderntransport. This is in an open coastal habitat with spectacularviews northwestward towards North Caicos. Again, a widevariety of wildlife can be seen, including endemic plantsas well as many range-restricted butterflies and birds. The

trail visits also a remarkablecave.

A third field-road, on NorthCaicos, is due to open soon.It will show the ruins ofWade’s Green Plantation,formerly the most successfulTCI plantation and now setin recovering dry tropicalforest. The next round offield-roads, due to open laterin 2004 and 2005, are wellin preparation. Others willfollow later.

Turks & Caicos National Trust opens its first set of field-roads

TCNT Conservation Officer, Bryan Naqqi Manco, explainsfeatures of the vegetation to Governor’s wife, Mrs Romey

Poston, and Hon Jeffrey Hall, while TCNT Chairman,Norman Hamilton, uses the field-road booklet.

Mike Pienkowski, Chairman UKOTCF and Plan editor:pienkowski@cix.co.ukEthlyn Gibbs Williams, Executive Director, Turks & CaicosNational Trust: tc.nattrust@tciway.tcBryan Naqqi Manco, Conservation Officer, Turks & CaicosNational Trust: naqqi@aol.comDace Ground, UKOTCF Council and guide-booklet designer:dace@logic.bm

Forum Chairman, Dr Mike Pienkowski,speaks at the opening ceremony.

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The value of Europe’s overseas territories and regions isextremely high in terms of biodiversity. In addition to thestatistics the Forum frequently quotes for UKOTs, thenumber of endemic species in the Netherlands Antillesexceeds two hundred, in contrast to only one found in theNetherlands of mainland Europe. More endemic speciesare found in New Caledonia, a French Territory, than in theentire area of continental Europe. However, the naturalecosystems within these areas are facing considerablethreats: rapid population growth and related development,climate change, invasive species, etc. Additionally, they arenot well protected due to a lack of coherence between local,national and European policies.

For a long time there has been a lack of concern at a Europeanlevel for environmental issues in the overseas territories.However, following initial discussions between the Forum andthe French National Committee for IUCN, the latter bodyconvened a meeting with partners in the five main countriesthat have overseas regions and territories: France, theNetherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK. A new initiative toprotect biodiversity in Europe’s overseas territories and regionsbegan on 19 May 2004 at the IUCN Regional Office for Europein Brussels, with representatives from the IUCN French,Spanish and Dutch National Committees as well as the UKOverseas Territories Conservation Forum, FalklandsConservation and the Dutch-Caribbean Nature Alliance.

The participants agreed to develop a common declaration, withthe aim of raising awareness of the European Union andrelevant countries of their responsibilities towards theseterritories. They also wished to develop a project proposal forthe European Union and its Member States and to establish astrong partnership to influence the integration of OverseasTerritories in European policies. This initiative will be presentedduring the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress inBangkok, in order to secure wider participation from civilsociety, local authorities and EU institutions. The participantsof the meeting also wish to incorporate this initiative under theumbrella of the Countdown 2010. Countdown 2010 is aimed at

New Initiative to Protect Biodiversity in Europe’s OverseasTerritories and Regions

Why not become a Friend?If you have enjoyed reading this edition of Forum News,why not subscribe to Friends of the UK Overseas Territo-ries. Membership in the “Friends” is an easy way ofexpressing your support for the Forum’s work; everymember makes the Forum’s voice stronger.Friends subscriptions can be paid by credit/debit card, aswell as by UK cheque.

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Attendees at the Brussels Meeting

raising awareness among the general public and European decisionmakers on measures that must be taken to achieve the Gothenburgand Kiev commitments “to halt the loss of biodiversity in Europeby 2010”.Useful Links:IUCN Regional office for Europe: www.iucneurope.orgNetherlands National Committee: www.iucn.nlUK National Committee: www.iucn-uk.orgFrench National Committee: www.uicn.frFalklands Conservation: www.falklandsconservation.com

Correspondence to: Frances Marks, Forum Co-ordinator, 15Insall Road, Chipping Norton, OX7 5LF, UK, Tel: +44(0)1608644425WEB-SITE: hhtp://www.ukotcf.orgPhotographs courtesy of: Brian Baldwin, Fred Burton, ColinClubbe, Kew, Paul Edgar, FCO Press Office, Tara GeorgeAscension Island Government, Nic Huin Falklands Conserva-tion, IUCN Europe Office, Bryan Naqqu Manco, Frances Marks,Mike Pienkowski, Juliet Rose, Jim Scheiner, Rainbow VisionsPhotography, Ian Strange and Andrew SyvretThe Forum is a non-profit organisation registered as a limitedcompany in England and Wales No 3216892 and RegisteredCharity No 1058483. Registered Office: 12 High Street,Wendover, Buckinghamshire, HP22 5EA, United Kingdom.Information and advice given on behalf of the Forum is given onthe basis that no liability attaches to the Forum, its Directors,officers or representative in respect thereof.