MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Conservation Newsletter.

Headlines:
A New Director at Falklands Conservation; Henry Robinson Chairman; Best Year Ever for Falklands Penguins; New book on Falklands Rocks and Fossils.

A New Director at Falklands Conservation.

Grant Munro has been appointed Director of Falklands Conservation from 1st April 2005. He takes over the reins from Becky Ingham, who has led the charity through an exciting 5-year period of rapid expansion of its conservation activities in the South Atlantic. Becky is leaving the Islands to return to the UK. Grant has made his home in the Islands, arriving there over 14 years ago. Originally from Scotland and a forester by training, due to a lack of woodlands in the Falklands his career took a necessary change in direction. He has worked as a sea-going observer at the Falkland Islands Department of Fisheries monitoring the commercial fish catches onboard vessels for a range of biological data, as a shipping agent responsible for the shore side support to twelve Spanish fishing vessels, and as the General Manager of Consolidated Fisheries, a locally registered fishing company. His broad understanding of the Falklands environment has been enhanced by his recent work with Falklands Conservation. This has included investigating technologies to reduce the level of fisheries discharge and thus the attractiveness of fishing boats to seabirds, a review of the Falklands environmental baseline study and currently as Project Leader of the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Programme. This aims to improve the conservation status of albatross and petrels in the Falklands, and wherever they roam across the southern oceans. Oliver Yates will be taking over the running of this Programme from Grant. Grant is keen to emphasize that "community involvement will continue to be a priority. Our proactive stance on the development of eco-tourism and work with the fishing industry to combat the mortality of albatross is crucially important. In the Falklands there is a high awareness of the importance of the Islands' distinct and very special environment. The challenge is to build upon this awareness and ensure that any future developments in the Islands proceed in a manner sensitive to its protection. I am excited by the challenges which lie ahead and look forward to working with my colleagues, Falkland Islands people, and conservationists who care for these Islands both in the UK and across the world."

Henry Robinson Chairman

Henry Robinson has succeeded Robin Woods as Chairman of Falklands Conservation, following a meeting of Trustees on 2 February 2005 reports the organization. He is Director of Wilkinson & Gaviller Ltd, which started supplying the Falkland Islands Government and others in the Islands around 1985. Appointed a Trustee of Falklands Conservation two years ago, he first visited the Islands in 1990 and fell in love with the place, the people and the wildlife. "I am neither a twitcher nor a scientist, but have had a lifelong interest in birds and wildlife generally. I visit the Islands roughly every 2 years and have travelled extensively on West and East Falkland as well as to Pebble, Carcass and Sea Lion Islands. I am lucky to count many Islanders as friends and believe that I have a good understanding of some of the issues facing them. Most importantly, I feel passionate about everything that Falklands Conservation stands for and is trying to do", stated Mr. Robinson on his appointment. Robin Woods, author of Guide to Birds of the Falkland Islands and other books on Falklands' natural history, will be continuing to serve as a Trustee and lend his expert support to Falklands Conservation's fieldwork and research programmes. Gordon Liddle continues as our Chairman of the Falkland Islands Committee, which guides our operations locally.

Best Year Ever for Falklands Penguins

Falklands Conservation reports that after some years of bad population figures and lowered breeding success being recorded around the Falkland Islands, this year the figures are the best ever for gentoo penguins, with a breeding success per pair of 1.16 chicks. Each year as part of the ongoing Seabird Monitoring Programme, Falklands Conservation researchers visit key breeding sites of gentoo, rockhopper and Magellanic penguins around the Falklands during November, to count the adult breeding pairs. This gives a very clear idea of the population trends - how many adults are returning to the Islands, or in the case of gentoos, fit enough to begin the breeding season with a nest and a partner. During January, researchers return to count the numbers of chicks, late on in the breeding cycle when it is likely that most chicks still present will actually fledge successfully. These counts are carried out using binoculars and tally counters, usually from a good vantage point such as a Land Rover roof. All counts are carried out 3 times for accuracy. This year, 11,457 gentoo penguins were counted, compared to 10,191 at the same sites last year, a 12% increase. Added to the breeding success of 1.16 chicks per breeding pair, compared to only 1 chick per breeding pair last year, this represents their most successful year since records began in 1986. Rockhopper penguins also had a good year. Although this species is one that causes most conservation concerns, because they never have what could be called a brilliant success rate, this year they managed 0.80 chicks per breeding pair, and the populations monitored went from 2,982 in 2003-4, up to 3,420 breeding pairs. Finally, Magellanic penguins, measured by the density of breeding birds per km2, went from 22.4 birds km2 in 2003-4 to 42.7 birds km2 in 2004-5. This increase in numbers was also mirrored in an increase in breeding success from 0.62 chicks per breeding pair in 2003-4 to 1.33 chicks per breeding pair in 2004-5 - the species second best year since records began.

New book on Falklands Rocks and Fossils

"Rocks and fossils of the Falkland Islands", by Phil Stone, Don Aldiss and Emma Edwards presents an attractive account of the origins of the Falkland Islands' and contains much to inform anyone interested in the Falklands' environment. It immediately catches one's attention with its first sentence: ?It might seem bizarre, but the Falkland Islands are a fragment of Africa caught on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean'. The Falkland Islands have a remarkable geological history: its African origins going back 1000 million years, a 400 million-year-old shoreline teeming with marine life, an ice age 300 million years ago succeeded by the spread of forests, and emigration to the New World as the Atlantic Ocean opened a mere 150 million years ago - with rotation so that north became south in the process. This colourful account illustrates the rocks and fossils, shows how their features reveal the details of those ancient environments, and explains how more recent climate change has wrought the rocks into the unique Falkland landscape. Rocks and fossils of the Falkland Islands, By Phil Stone, Don Aldiss and Emma Edwards. Published by the British Geological Survey and the Falkland Islands Government ISBN 0852724942, £9 plus post and packing.

More information : www.falklandsconservation.com