MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New Island North under new ownership

THE whole of New Island, the most remote of all the Falklands' inhabited islands, is now under the ownership of one trust.

The New Island South Conservation Trust this week announced that they have purchased the New Island North Nature Reserve from Tony and Kim Chater, thus bringing the entire island into the Trust's ownership.

The New Island South Conservation Trust (NISCT), although only formally established as a charity in 1995, has over a quarter of a century of wildlife study and conservation experience and currently plays a leading role in Falkland Islands environmental protection. From its base at the New Island settlement the Trust operates the only purpose-designed site for field studies in the Islands.

The Trust was the brainchild of Ian Strange MBE who was the owner of New Island South from 1971 until the property was acquired by the Trust in 1998.

Since then he has been the Trust's resident warden, overseeing major infrastructure developments and a very wide-ranging programme of international research into many species of wildlife, including black-browed albatross, rockhopper penguins, thin-billed prions, the Falklands skua and upland geese.

HRH Prince Andrew visited the island in 2002 when he also formally opened the Geoffrey C. Hughes Field Centre, named after the charity's American benefactor.

It was also the Geoffrey C. Hughes Trust that funded the purchase of the rest of the island from Mr and Mrs Chater.

The Chairman of the New Island Trustees, Air Vice-Marshal David Crwys-Williams, commented, "We are thrilled that we have acquired the entire island and now have the opportunity to extend our important conservation and research projects across the whole property. We are grateful to Tony and Kim Chater for their cooperation in this project, and we are very pleased that they plan to remain on New Island as our tenants for a few years."

New Island is a popular stop for many cruise ships visiting the Falkland Islands, and will offer an even better experience for the many tourists from next season, the Trust says.

"With the help of a grant from the FCO's Overseas Territories Environment Programme the stone building built by Captain Charles Barnard, stranded there for two years in 1812, has been restored as a Visitors' Centre. Later this year it will be fitted out with displays about the island's wildlife, the Trust's conservation work and the history of the island."

The origins of the New Island South Conservation Trust (NISCT) go back to 1971 when the New Island Preservation Company bought the island and took steps to establish the property as a nature reserve.

When the island was divided in 1977 into New Island North and New Island South, Ian Strange transferred the southern property to a private trust, and in 1993 the area was given official status as a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Falklands Islands Government.

In 1995 the NISCT was formed, with a Board of independent Trustees that subsequently acquired the southern part of the island including the settlement, jetty and airstrip. Penguin News

More information: see under "New Island"icon in our Front page.