Die St Helena Wolkbosprojek
Bewaring van 'n wêreldwye belangrike ekosisteem
Projek Oorsig
The total area of the national park is 81 ha.
St Helena se wolkwoud het afgeneem van 'n geskatte 600 hektaar voor mense se aankoms tot net 16 hektaar vandag.
Habitat
Tropiese wolkwoud
Huidige grootte
16 hektaar
Project commenced
2021
Unieke Spesie
Ongeveer 250
Die projek
Die St Helena Wolkwoud-projek is 'n hoogs samewerkende, meerjarige projek wat werk om die Pieke-bestuursplan vir St Helena's Peaks Nasionale Park te implementeer.
Die Peaks Nasionale Park, St Helena-eiland is die tuiste van die oorblyfsels van 'n antieke wolkwoud. Dit is 'n wêreldwye belangrike gebied:
- Dit bevat ongeveer 250 spesies wat nêrens anders op aarde gevind word nie – gelykstaande aan meer as een sesde van die VK se totale endemiese biodiversiteit.
- Dit verskaf die meerderheid van die eiland se jaarlikse waterhulpbron (deur sy 'wolkwoud'-rol van misopvang en grondwateraanvulling).
- Dit bied 'n unieke wilderniservaring in 'n gebied wat as een van St Helena se 'Sewe Wonders' aangewys is.
Project works are taking place within the National Park under three main pillars: Biodiversity; Water Security & Climate Change; and Socio-economic.
Die pilare
- Biodiversiteit: Gemik op die verbetering, herstel en skep van wolkwoudhabitat en die bewaring van geassosieerde spesies, met die doel om 'n internasionaal belangrike wildbrandpunt teen verdere uitwissing te beskerm.
- Watersekerheid en klimaatsverandering: Gemik daarop om te herplant rondom inheemse habitatfragmente in sleutelareas van misopvang, en om monitering en navorsing uit te voer om die eiland se watersekuriteit en aanpassingspogings vir klimaatsverandering in te lig en te beveilig.
- Sosio-ekonomies: Gemik daarop om die volhoubare ontwikkeling van St Helena te ondersteun deur geleenthede te ontwikkel deur ekotoerisme, onderwys, volhoubare grondgebruik en bewaringsopleiding.
Befondsing en vennote
The UK Government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), has committed to funding for the project over 4 years until 2025, with matched funding through project partners and various Darwin Plus projects. Over the first two years of the project (2021 – 2023) the total value of funding was over two million pounds.
Vordering tot op datum
Vir Jaar 1 van die projek (2021/2022) was die fokus op die opskaling van St Helena se kapasiteit om sy wolkwoud te herstel deur personeel, internasionale kundigheid, toerusting en infrastruktuur.
This involved local recruitment to seven full-time roles; procurement of equipment and assets; upgrading of buildings to support a new lab which will aid in the propagation of rare, endemic fern species; and research and intensive training on water and climate monitoring, soil sample analysis, plant and invertebrate surveys, seed-banking and sampling for genetic research.
Year 2 (2022/2023) intended to begin on scaling up restoration of the cloud forest. However, this year saw significant challenges following confirmation of plant pathogens causing diseases and death of endemic tree species within the Peaks National Park. Partners continued to work together to understand, and begin preparing for, long-term actions necessary to support large-scale conservation of the cloud forest.
In-depth updates of work achieved over Years 1 & 2, and quarterly progress updates for Year 3 can be viewed in the Key documents section.
- St Helena Wolkwoud Jaarverslag 2021/22
- St Helena Cloud Forest Annual Report 2022/23
- Die St Helena Wolkwoud-projek Sleutelprestasies jaar 1
- The St Helena Cloud Forest Project Key achievements year 2
- St Helena Cloud Forest Update 1: 24-25
- St Helena Cloud Forest Update: Quarter 2 23/24
- St Helena Cloud Forest Update 3 23/24
- St Helena Cloud Forest Update 4 23/24
- Historic Feature Assessment for the Peaks National Park Oct 23
- Land use influences on soil microbiota on the South Atlantic island of St Helena
Latest News
- A story map for the project has been published: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/426fd3e280d1401d8136ba22a6f89ef6.
- The RSPB published two stories, where the work of the project was featured, including for:
- The Natural History Museum published a blog on the new pirate spider species discovered on the island through work funded by the St Helena Cloud Forest Project: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/february/new-species-pirate-spiders-discovered-south-atlantic-island.html
- On St Helena, during Quarter 4, a further two public talks were held by the SHCFP:
- Amy Webster from the University of Birmingham and Jayne Crozier from CABI gave an update on tree disease and plant pathogens threatening St Helena, filmed by WTSDN and made available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z_b-gxrg17Q
- Dr Mark Nicholson, during a self-funded trip to St Helena, discussed the methodologies, challenges, successes and failures after a quarter of a century restoring Brackenhurst’s native forests, as he linked the work on St Helena to the cloud forest restoration work being done as part of a Darwin Project in Kenya’s Taita Hills.
Nuus
- 5 Augustus 2021: RSPB Befondsingsaankondiging
- 5 Augustus 2021: Daily Telegraph artikel 'Regering steun bod om VK se laaste wolkwoud te red'
- 8 November 2021: SHG Persverklaring oor "Plaaslik vervaardigde kortfilm wen 'Impak-toekenning' by COP26"
- 6 November 2021:International National Trusts Organisation film bevorder die werk by die wolkwoud
- 19 November 2021: St Helena Independent-funksie oor die projek
- 20 Desember 2021: 2-bladsy projekopdatering uitgereik aan plaaslike koerante.
- 21 Desember 2021: SHG persverklaring oor projek wat help om Large Bellflower te herstel
- 11 Februarie 2022: Sky News Breakfast bevat die projek
iRecord St Helena is an on-line Biological Recording Database launched in February 2023 by the St Helena Research Institute (SHRI) hosting records of wildlife sightings collected on the island by both professionals and amateur naturalists. Explore further and contribute your sightings via the web portal or app.