Species Seeking on Saint Helena
A small and remote island full of unique wildlife in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean
Later this week I will be setting off, in my capacity as Keeper of Natural History at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London, on what I hope will be the fieldwork journey of a lifetime!
I’m off to Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory and small remote island in the South Atlantic, similar in size to Jersey, most famous as the place of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile and death. I will be travelling with a colleague from the Natural History Museum, London, who specialises in beetles, and who, like me, is interested in and somewhat fascinated by the evolution of life on islands.
We’ll be there recording beetles and other invertebrates to support the Saint Helena National Trust’s conservation efforts on the island. Naturally we’ll be working in collaboration with the National Trust’s conservation team to help promote and protect the islands unique wildlife — to ensure it thrives and survives in the decades to come.
So where is Saint Helena and why is it so special?
Saint Helena lies about 1800km off the coast of Africa and 3200km from South America (depending where you measure it from). It’s nearest neighbours are Ascension Island and Tristan da Cuhna.
The remains of two volcanoes which emerged from the Atlantic around 14 million years ago — Saint Helena is a hotbed of speciation and explains why such a small and isolated island holds so many plant and animal species that are entirely unique to that place. Approximately one third of all species endemic (unique) to the UK and its Overseas Territories are from Saint Helena and that is what makes it such a special place. It is also why we need to do everything we can to preserve and protect it for the future. There’s nowhere else quite like it on Earth! And I’ll get to see it first hand. I can’t wait.
I’ll be sharing stories and experiences from the field in a remote diary to help promote the fantastic work of the Saint Helena National Trust and provide a unique insight into the habitats, species and life on the island whilst I’m there. So watch this space!
