Charity Project
Charity
Project
UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum
UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum
PROJECT: The fight against invasive species – Restoring island ecosystems
LOCATION OF IMPACT: Global NGO – Project location Montserrat
PROJECT COST: £60,000
Most small islands, such as the UK Overseas Territories aren’t visible on the world map, yet they have species which are found nowhere else on earth. There are 14 all over the world and they hold around 100,000 native species, 300 of which are thought to be endemic species restricted to a single location.
Help us to protect rare forests and land which is rich in wildlife and resilient to changes in climate we all face.
Our work involves:
- Biological surveys to understand the ecology of the land.
- Data collection with the community sometimes called ‘citizen science’ which allows communities to get involved by using phone apps.
- Propagating seeds and saplings of native and endemic species.
- Management and, if appropriate, replacement of plant species to restore ecosystems. If the invasive/introduced plant species are useful (e.g. have medicinal properties, food source) they will be managed and not removed entirely.
- Education and outreach to develop initiatives with communities: training and knowledge exchanges.
On small islands, you can have a big impact on global biodiversity because of the number of species only found there.
We want to battle invasive species and restore island ecosystems. This will enable us to:
- Carry out ecological assessments of potential sites for restoration.
- Build a peace-corp of ecological defenders who help to carry out manual work.
- Develop management plans for a network of areas managed for biodiversity.
- Develop plant nurseries to grow rare and endemic plants.
- Target removal of invasive species with tools you help provide, where appropriate
- Provide opportunities for kid’s clubs to grow and expand to educate about biodiversity and nature conservation, traditional medicinal plants and growing their own food to reduce imports.
