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New
Island is one of the finest and most unique wildlife reserves in the Falkland
Islands
Under the protection of the New Island Conservation Trust, a non-profit
charitable conservation organisation, the future of this reserve is assured
in perpetuity
New Island is one of the finest wildlife areas in the
Falklands. This is largely because of the variety and density of bird
life which lives there. 39 species of bird regularly breed on New Island.
More than two million seabirds inhabit its shores and surrounding smaller
islands, with large numbers of breeding Rockhopper, Gentoo and Magellanic
penguins, and more than 13,000 pairs of breeding Black-browed Albatross.
The importance of New Island as a breeding ground, along with a number
of other islands in this part of the archipelago can be attributed to
the Falkland Current. A main stream of this current flows to the west
side of New Island, creating one of the richest marine resources and feeding
grounds for wildlife to be found around the Falkland Islands.
In 1972 the opportunity arose to give New Island its first measure of
environmental protection in nearly 200 years. The project began when the
property was purchased by Ian Strange and a partner (the property was
later divided as New Island North and New Island South, with the latter
being owned by Ian Strange). Much of the island’s earlier history
was one of depredation: its seal and bird colonies were plundered by early
exploiters, the island was a base for early whalers, and its vegetation
suffered as a result of burning and grazing by sheep and cattle.
Today, New Island is again one single property secured under the New Island
Conservation Trust, an independent and charitable, non-profit conservation
organisation established by Ian Strange in the Falkland Islands. Since
1999 New Island has held National Nature Reserve status and is classified
as an Important Bird Area (IBA),
providing a sanctuary for many globally threatened species. The island
is an extremely important conservation site and many of the projects on
the reserve are linked to its past history, giving a unique opportunity
to study man’s past influence on the environment. Today we demonstrate
what changes can be brought about by protection and careful management.
You can read more by following the links on
the site's main menu at the top of this page...
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| Follow New Island's wildlife and conservation projects on Facebook! Photos and snippets of daily life on this South Atlantic nature reserve...
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The Falkland Islands hold over 60% of the global breeding population
of Black-browed Albatross.
Aerial surveying has been carried out in the Islands by Ian Strange
since 1964 - results show a positive trend for this species...
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