Daniel Pullen is RSPB’s International Site Casework Officer and he’s working with conservationists in St Helena to ensure there is a future for one of the world’s rarest and most threatened birds.
Daniel takes up the story:
St Helena is one of the UK’s Overseas Territories, 5000 miles out in the South Atlantic Ocean. Following a decision by the UK government in July 2011 to fund a new airport for the island to improve access and prospects for inward investment, the St Helena government is now encouraging the development of a tourism industry on the island – it’s early days but decisions taken now can have a profound affect on the environment and it’s unique wildlife.
One of the first large proposals to come forward is for a large golf and resort development in the green heart of the island at a site called ‘Broad Bottom’. This area is, however, also used as a breeding area by a significant number of St Helena’s only surviving endemic bird – the St Helena plover or wirebird.
A wirebird chick is ringed as part of studies into one of the world's rarest birds Photo Fiona Burns.
This species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN due to historic declines in numbers and current estimates put the world population (located just on this one small island) at only 361 individuals. The RSPB has been working in close co-operation with the St Helena National Trust to turn around the fortunes of this charming bird by investigating the reasons for its decline (changes in farming practices and predation from cat and rats seem to be the culprits) and putting in place proper management of its breeding and feeding habitats – which in this part of the island are grazed grasslands.
Although SHELCO, the developer of the Broad Bottom golf proposal, has made an effort to mitigation the impact and provide management for breeding wirebirds, we think that the proposal, at this stage, falls well short of the standard required to conserve and enhance the breeding success of this critically endangered species.
The landscape of St Helena. Photo Fiona Burns
Therefore we’ve objected to the proposal, but we fully intend to work constructively with SHELCO and the St Helena Government to ensure that further undisturbed habitat is secured to mitigate the impact of the golf course and that plans for managing wirebird habitat are agreed and, importantly, enforced by the St Helena Government. We’re not against a development at the site, but due to the critical status of the wirebird, its essential that its done right.
The RSPB and St Helena National Trust are currently in discussions with the St Helena Government to ensure that adequate time is allowed to agree these measures before the application is considered by the Planning Committee.
Daniel will let us know how we get on!
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