Current Projects

Project Name: Improving Access to Green Mountain National Park (OTEP funded)

Brief summary of project:

This project seeks to improve access and thus add value to the recently formed Green Mountain National Park.

Many of the historical paths and tunnels and associated buildings and structures around the Mountain are in a state of severe disrepair and are extensively overgrown with vegetation from these features to them safe and prevent them from becoming irreparable or lost altogether.

Retention of the Mountain’s historical paths will assist with educational tours of the National Park and will enhance the local environment by providing added interest value and recreational opportunities.

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Project Name: Seabird Restoration Project (RSPB funded)

Brief summary of project:

Ascension Island was formerly home to large seabird colonies, but the introduction of cats in the 1800s led to rapid population declines. Relict populations survived on inaccessible cliff ledges and offshore stacks, the largest of which is Boatswainbird Island. In 2001 a feral cat eradication programme was initiated and the last known feral cat was removed from the mainland in March 2004. Seabird recolonisation of the mainland was first recorded in May 2002 and numbers have increased steadily since. Most species have occupied main island sites immediately adjacent to existing colonies, although Masked Boobies exhibit a higher degree of dispersal. The species that have recolonised are those that previous work suggested were most stressed for breeding space: Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) Brown Booby (S. leucogaster) Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) and White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus), but to date there is no evidence of the endemic Ascension Frigatebird (Fregata aquila) recolonisation. Overall breeding success was relatively low compared to estimates elsewhere in each species range.

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Press release: 04-12-06

Seabirds Succeed on Ascension Island

Ascension Island is declared feral cat free.

Ascension Island, a small, remote, volcanic island in the South Atlantic, is rich in unique flora and fauna. When it was first inhabited in 1815, it was thought to host 20 million individual seabirds, including the Ascension frigatebird, a globally threatened species found nowhere else in the world.

Following a 98% crash in numbers, the island seabird population decreased to around 400,000 individuals, mostly confined to offshore stacks and inaccessible cliffs.
The seabird population on the tropical UK Overseas Territory had been devastated by feral cats which were introduced onto the island in the early 19th Century to control introduced rats and mice.

Ascension Seabird Restoration Project
So far, the Ascension Seabird Restoration Project has encouraged 726 pairs of five species of seabird, including brown noddies, masked boobies and red-billed tropicbirds, to return and nest on mainland Ascension Island.

A recipe for success
The Ascension Seabird Restoration Project, implemented by the Ascension Island Government, and assisted by the RSPB with £500,000 funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has since 2001 removed feral cats from Ascension Island. Since February 2004, no feral cats have been seen on the island, encouraging the prompt return of the seabirds. Since this date, the island has run an intensive monitoring programme which has confirmed that the island is feral cat free.
A landmark in Conservation History
The Ascension Seabird Restoration Project is a landmark in conservation history because it is the first time that feral cats have been removed from an island where people were allowed to retain their pet cats.
The Administrator of Ascension Island Government said: 'The project has been a great success and will make a crucial contribution to the conservation of the world's breeding seabird populations and the natural history of the island’. Tara Pelembe who runs the Ascension Island Government Conservation Department added ‘it would not have been such a success without a team of dedicated staff, and the support of the people of the island’.
Sarah Sanders the RSPB's International Officer for the UK Overseas Territories, commented:
'The UK Overseas Territories are astoundingly rich in wildlife and Ascension is no exception. RSPB has made a firm commitment to protect wildlife in the UK Overseas Territories and the success of the Ascension Seabird Restoration Project is evidence that well designed and funded projects can provide new hope for threatened species. At the same time it has shown that the Ascension Island Government is highly capable of managing large projects.'
A celebration was held on Ascension on Sunday 26th November 2006 to declare the island feral-cat free.

Editors Notes :

1. Ascension Island (7°57S, 14°22W) lies in the tropical South Atlantic. It is a small volcanic island with an area of 97 sq km.
2. The cats on Ascension island were introduced in 1815 to control the populations of rats and mice. Roaming wild, these cats quickly decimated populations of seabirds on the mainland, forcing most of the seabirds, except the colonially-nesting sooty tern, to nest on offshore stacks, principally Boatswainbird Island. The project needed to remove the cats from the island. The project gained the active support and co-operation of the islanders and the Ascension Island Society for the Protection of Cruelty Against Animals. The feral cats were destroyed in accordance with animal welfare guidelines.
3. The project has worked with the local community to identify, register, microchip and, where necessary, sterilise pet cats, resulting in greater care of pets. Legislation was introduced through the project to prevent the reintroduction of cats to the island.
4. The Ascension frigatebird is a globally-threatened seabird, which is totally confined to Ascension Island. It is one of 11 species of seabird which regularly nests on the island.

For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact:
Tara Pelembe, Ascension Island Conservation Officer, on 00247 6359 .

Photographs:
Photographs can be obtained from the Ascension Island Government Conservation Department: e-mail:
Please note these pictures are only to be used in conjunction with the Seabirds succeed on Ascension Island story.

Recent Projects

Project Name: Ascension Environmental Information Operations Utility (AEIOU)

Brief summary of project:

The project will synthesise existing information from land jurisdiction, environmental mapping and monitoring, geological and cultural data with new land cover data into a single manageable framework, and provide protocols for updating, managing and applying information. Portals will be available to the school and for public use as a learning and information resource. Resulting maps will provide Ascension with the means to implement their plan for Green Mountain, home to many native and culturally important species, and other protected areas, and integrate environmental monitoring information with other island data for strategic and routine planning and management.

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Project Name: OTEP XOT 202 (Education)

Brief summary of project:Picture of Ascension Explorers youth activities

This project will raise environmental awareness in two Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic. Its key elements are inter-linked to provide a cohesive approach within the Falkland and Ascension Islands’ communities. It will produce environmental resources for schools focusing on island issues and native wildlife. It will launch initiatives for hands on involvement in conservation activities. It will provide the means for volunteers to take part in wildlife surveys and monitoring. It will facilitate long-term repeatable voluntary data collection. The outputs will create long-term legacies, and, in particular, be incorporated into the education delivery system in both islands.

Pictures of Project

Project Name: Monitoring and Raising Public Awareness of Grouper at St Helena Using Ascension Island as a Control

Brief summary of project:

This project aims to assess the status of grouper populations on St. Helena and compare them to the grouper populations on neighbouring Ascension island.
The initial survey of the grouper proved to be very successful. Both researchers (Dr Ross Robertson and Professor Howard Choats) visited St. Helena and Ascension and intensive collections were made. Local personal were trained in obtaining otoliths. Collections were also made at Ascension Island and again, this proved successful. This established that future monitoring at St Helena would consist of monthly grouper collections with otolith samples being taken and sent away to the researchers for analysis. There was a lot of publicity for the project throughout the duration of the researchers visit to St. Helena. Both radio stations and newspapers did features on the grouper project. There was also a public talk that was done by the researchers.

Pictures of Project