South Atlantic's invasives

Overview of JNCC’s invasive’s programme

Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. One of the areas of work under JNCC’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies programme focuses on invasive species, compiling species lists for each territory and exploring ways in which priorities for actions can be set. In March 2009 JNCC hosted a workshop on invasive species where a number of experts, including specialists from Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman were brought together to give advice on where JNCC could best add value to work on invasives in the UK Overseas Territories.

South Atlantic Invasive Species regional (SAIS) meeting (RSPB), Ascension

JNCC is a member of the South Atlantic Invasive Species Regional Advisory group. The project that this group advises on is a cross-territory European-funded initiative that links St. Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the Falklands. The European Development funding (EDF) for the project was awarded to the St. Helena Government; the RSPB co-ordinates the project management. This is the final year of the three-year project, and a milestone was to conduct a regional workshop to bring together the stakeholders in the project. The event was hosted on Ascension at the South Atlantic regional meeting in May 2009.

Three members of JNCC, Tara Pelembe, Nikki Chapman and Anton Wolfaardt attended the South Atlantic Invasive Species regional meeting providing input into the workshop, chairing JNCC side meetings and raising awareness of JNCC’s role in Overseas Territories through presentations and networking.

JNCC staff gave several presentations at the regional meeting:

• Tara Pelembe gave a short talk that outlined the overall aims and objectives of JNCC’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies Programme. The programme is divided into five projects: Advice and Communications, Funding and Research, Multilateral Environment Agreements, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), and Sustainable Development (focussing on climate change, invasives and sustainable development).
• Nikki Chapman gave a brief overview of her role as Overseas Territories Fundraising Officer, and the processes and techniques for the collation of funding sources and the development of the ‘OT funding sources database’. The latter is a web-based search tool accessible for all interested stakeholders, which is ready for testing online http://www.jncc.gov.uk/otfundingdatabase. In addition, a request was made for all government personnel to identify any funding training needs/support requirement by the completion of a questionnaire. This questionnaire is now also available on the webpage in PDF format. Responses to this questionnaire can be made directly to
• Anton Wolfaardt delivered a presentation on ACAP , providing an overview of the project to co-ordinate and drive forward work by the UK and the South Atlantic Overseas Territories to implement ACAP. Anton indicated that there were a number of similarities and linkages between the ACAP work and the work of the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project, and that we should actively share experiences and lessons, and ensure a co-ordinated approach to both spheres of work.

One of the key priorities established from the South Atlantic Overseas Territories was the eradication of house mice from Gough. These mice are a threat to multiple endemic species but critically, prey on the chicks of several species including those of the endemic and critically endangered Tristan albatross. In the presence of mice, the Tristan albatross faces a higher risk of extinction.

South Atlantic regional meeting (JNCC), Ascension

A South Atlantic regional meeting was held at Ascension. The group usually meets every six months by teleconference, so it was great to have everyone together, face-to-face. Each of the Overseas Territories government departments gave summaries of three of their current main areas of focus. The meeting was also attended by the Department for International Development (DFID) who also gave a brief update. Current highlights include:

• Falklands’ recently launched Biodiversity Action Plan http://www.epd.gov.fk/;
• South Georgia’s hydroelectric power (now around 99% self-sufficient in energy) http://www.sgisland.gs/;
• Tristan da Cunha’s invasives control projects;
• Ascension Islands endemic plant nursery and restoration activities http://www.ascensionconservation.org.ac/;
• St. Helena’s World Environment Day outreach activities.

These regional meetings provide a good opportunity for exchange of information across the South Atlantic Overseas Territories and increased awareness of the types of activities being focussed on in each territory. The meetings also provide links to what is happening in relation to nature conservation and Overseas Territories at UK and EU level.

Over the last five years, a number of people from the Ascension Island Conservation Department, volunteers, and visiting scientists, including Stedson Stroud, Conservation Officer on Ascension, have been observing and monitoring the Ascension Island land crabs. Areas of focus include the migration of Ascension’s land crabs from the mountains to their spawning grounds, counts of the total numbers of spawning crabs on the beach, and population structure, size and gender ratio.

Some of this research has shown that during a typical spawning session the females will lay their eggs in sand at the water’s edge. After an incubation period, these eggs float out to sea and then, after a period, the fully developed juvenile crabs will come ashore and inhabit the mountains of Ascension.

During the last few years Stedson has noticed that few juveniles appear to be replenishing the current, apparently ageing, population. His concerns are that the population will eventually fall below viable levels. One potential explanation for the lack of juveniles comes from one of his recent observations of ‘sand cockroaches’, in their thousands, attacking the spawning females’ eggs at North East Bay. These 'sand cockroaches’, approximately 15mm in length, lay buried in the sand and emerge to eat the freshly laid eggs. Stedson has even observed the eggs being devoured whilst they are in the process of being laid.

Future conservation efforts hope to include the investigation of the impact of the ‘sand cockroaches’ on the reproductive success of the land-crab with the hope of providing a long-term solution to the apparently ageing and declining populations.

Nikki Chapman

Overseas Territories Fundraising Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 1733 866924

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