Nestled between South America and Africa, St. Helena is one of the most remote and isolated places on Earth. It is located in the South Atlantic Ocean, nearly 800 meters above sea level, and was formed 14 million years ago after thousands of years of volcanic eruption.
Most famously as a British Dominion, it was here that he spent the last six years of his life in isolation and exile.
But what many don’t know is that it’s also home to nearly a third of the UK’s endemic species. An endemic species — whether it’s an insect, plant or animal — means it’s a species that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
When it was discovered in the 15th century, Portuguese explorers and settlers introduced exotic animal species, including goats, cats and mice, which had a negative impact on its environment, which the island still suffers from today.
These animals, especially goats, have devastated St. Helena’s natural forests. What remains, however, is extremely unique, fascinating and of international importance, as it demonstrates the natural state of the Earth before the age of human exploration began.
Today, the people of St. Helena agree to protect their environment. Its native mahogany, ebony and other endemic plants struggle to survive. The threat posed by invasive plants is widespread throughout the habitat, outpacing the very slow regeneration and growth rates of natural plant species.
A group of forest conservationists is working to restore the island’s forests, especially the upper cloud forest, in the hope that the plants currently thriving there will one day return to the coast. Forest conservation and regeneration has also given new life to St. Helena’s endemic isopods and a variety of insects, including cicadas. Bird populations are also growing, especially at the Egg Island Bird Sanctuary, whose landscape has been bleached by decades of guano.
Scientists, oceanographers and conservationists are also busy studying the island’s marine life. St. Helena is home to the elusive whale shark, which residents consider an indicator species whose general health provides clues about the island’s health.
But need more help. What once made the island prosperous now stands in the way of its protection. Extreme remoteness makes it difficult to access laboratories and universities where research can be conducted. Environmentalists in St. Helena also need more human and financial resources to continue their research.
With an expected surge in tourism, they rush to protect, study and understand their natural resources before they destroy the island’s natural wonders and ecosystems.
Directed by: Alexandra Childs, Rémi Demarthon
