Penguin News Update.

Friday, September 3rd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

Full article

Headlines:
Knowledge of Islands' ecology to grow with Darwin Initiative £100,000 grant; New boss at C&W; Cruise up for auction; Falklands/military theme at Southampton weddings; Summer time begins.

Knowledge of Islands' ecology to grow with Darwin Initiative £100,000 grant.

FALKLANDS CONSERVATION has received a massive boost in the form of a grant of over £100,000 from the UK Darwin Initiative. The money will allow the charity to undertake a three year project on invertebrates, an aspect of Falklands wildlife widely ignored in the past. The funding will enable initial studies on insects to continue and will extend these to a systematic invertebrate survey across all terrestrial habitats in the Falklands. Becky Ingham, Director of Falklands Conservation, welcomed the new programme. She said, "It provides us with a great opportunity to increase and develop our knowledge of all types of Falkland bugs and therefore better understand the complex ecology of the Islands." This is the only grant allocated by the Darwin Initiative to a project in a UK Overseas Territory and a Falklands Conservation spokesperson said a key aspect to the success of the application was, "...the support given by the Falkland Islands Government." According to the spokesperson, 70% of the invertebrates of the Falklands are believed to be endemic. "They comprise the largest, yet most poorly documented, proportion of the Islands' total biodiversity." The first substantial collections were made by Charles Darwin (after whom the award scheme is named) in 1834, on his famous voyage in the Beagle.Many of the specimens Darwin collected are still to be found in the Natural History Museum, London. Dick Vane-Wright, Head of Entomology at the Museum commented, "This is a particularly exciting opportunity in view of the number of anticipated new and endemic species awaiting to be discovered." The Natural History Museum has agreed to assist Falklands Conservation with taxonomic expertise and identification. As a result of the project's survey work, a new check list of invertebrates will be produced for the Falklands, together with a Red List of those species thought to be under threat or rare. The Falklands Conservation spokesperson said, "Based on survey information, an Invertebrates Conservation Plan will be submitted for possible inclusion in the Islands' Biodiversity Action Plan. "In addition, a reference collection of specimens available for public consultation will be established in Stanley and educational materials prepared. "There will be opportunities for Islanders to become involved in the project with training sessions in identification techniques and curation of specimens. "Field work is expected to begin in January 2005."

News in brief:

New boss at C&W.

CABLE AND WIRELESS has announced the appointment of Rick Hall as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Falklands. Mr Hall will arrive early next week to take up his new role. He has worked for Cable and Wireless since 1978, in places as diverse as Doha, Turkey, the Maldives, Lebanon, Indonesia and Vanuatu. Mr Hall will take over from the General Manager, Mr Brian Summers, who will remain with the company. Mr Summers is the last remaining staff member at Cable and Wireless who was with the company when it took over responsibility for the Islands' external communications on October 1, 1974. Speaking of Mr Hall's appointment, Mr Summers said, "I would like to wish Rick luck with the very specific challenges he will face in the Falkland Islands."

Cruise up for auction.

AUCTION prizes up for grabs at the annual Falklands Conservation charity ball are better than ever this year, with the donation of an Antarctic Cruise by Quark Expeditions. Sailing on the Professor Multanovskiy,the lucky bidder will get to visit South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, leaving the Islands around November 11 and flying back from Ushuaia on November 25. Other auction items include works of art by both local and international artists and the services of a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter or a gardener for a day. The ball, sponsored by Consolidated Fisheries and VT Communications, will take place on Friday, September 24.

Falklands/military theme at Southampton weddings.

TWO young Falkland Islanders living and working in the United Kingdom married their respective partners at the weekend. Juliet Binnie who works at the Falkland Islands Government Office in London married Royal Engineer Arron Cousins at Chilworth Manor just outside Southampton, and firefighter Karl Manners wed Lyndsey Ethrington, who works for RAF Air Traffic Control in London, at Southampton Registry Office. Reports from both weddings on page 3.

Summer time begins

REMEMBER to advance your clocks by one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. Summer Time begins at 2.00am on Sunday, 5 September.

Categories: Falkland Islands.

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