Ascension : Ascension Island Conservation Department
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 11.02.2010 (Article Archived on 25.02.2010)

A few weeks ago when I arrived on Ascension I wrote that this was an island that revealed itself slowly. Five weeks on, that seems truer than ever.

Despite its small size, Ascension is full of contrasts. Working with the Office of Conservation I have been lucky to explore a wide area of the island in a short time.  From the lush cool of Green Mountain and burning heat of Mars Bay to the wild spectacle of the Letterbox Peninsula, there is far more here than a glance at a map would suggest. Perhaps most surprising is that after centuries of mistreatment, there is still so much of importance and beauty here.

Indeed, what the conservation office is doing is not just about preserving the past, but about building the future. When the first sailors arrived, the birds here were so numerous that they seemed endless. Sadly most are gone, with the remainder largely confined to Boatswainbird Island and the sooty tern fairs. Yet in recent years, thanks to the efforts of Conservation and the RSPB in removing the feral cats, seabirds have started to nest on the mainland once again. We will never again see the 20 million birds that Ascension was once home to, but there is real hope that visitors in twenty or thirty years will find the lava flows alive with the sounds of thousands of boobies and frigate birds.

At the same time, work is underway to bring the endemic plant species of Ascension back from the brink of extinction, with breeding programmes and restoration sites established on the mountain. While it seems unlikely that they will come to dominate the landscape, as they once did, their future is more secure than at any time in recent years. There are also many things still to be discovered on the island, as in some ways Ascension is surprisingly unexplored. It is highly likely that entirely new species of plants and animals are waiting to be discovered in its ravines and pools.

But Ascension is also under threat. Aside from the obvious danger of invasive species, there are many other reasons to be concerned. Some, such as the changing climate and the mass of plastic waste that washes up on the beaches are indicative of much larger, global problems; but others, such as the piles of discarded beer cans, oil drums and other rubbish which litter parts of the island are local issues which must be tackled by everyone. The good news is that many of these local issues can be tackled. The responsibility for protecting Ascension and keeping it clean falls on everyone who calls this special place home, whether for a week, or a lifetime.

It would be easy to feel trapped on Ascension, but its very isolation forces you to explore it in detail, and working with Conservation has given me the opportunity to get to know this fascinating place in more depth than I would have imagined.

By Alasdair Cameron.  With thanks to everyone at the Conservation Department, the RSPB and VT Communications.

Volunteers welcome. Please contact Olivia Renshaw or Natasha Williams. Ascension Island Conservation Department. Georgetown. Tel: 6359. Email:  olivia.renshaw@ascension.gov.ac

natasha.williams@ascension.gov.ac