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The Origins of Falklands Conservation By Alison Inglis The Falkland Islands Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife, Wrecks and Places of Historic Interest was founded in 1979 by Sir Peter Scott. A company incorporated by guarantee, it was registered from its inception as a charity in England and Wales. Originally known as the Falkland Islands Foundation, it later changed its name to become Falklands Conservation after merging in 1989 with the Falkland Islands Trust with which it was closely associated from the Trust's inception in 1981. In June 1980 the Falkland Islands Newsletter (edition number 8) reported, "The foundation has been set up to provide for an international scientific centre in the Islands to study the fauna and flora of the region, to protect and preserve the many wrecks of historic and educational interest and to preserve buildings and places of historic interest. "The foundation is established in the United Kingdom and in the Falkland Islands and will have an office in London and a local committee in Port Stanley. It is planned to appoint a salaried director of operations who will be concerned with fund-raising, the management of the foundation's surveys, secretariat duties and other activities. "Sir Peter Scott is the foundation's chairman; Mr Peter Mould - a member of Lord Shackleton's 1976 Economic Survey team - is the honorary treasurer and Mr Richard Fitter, secretary of the Fauna Society, is the honorary secretary. The foundation will have a board of not more than thirty trustees, serving for three-year periods, as well as Falkland Islands representatives." The first Trustees included islander Harold Bennett, who served for many years as Registrar General of the Falkland Islands, and Bill Hunter Christie, a stalwart friend of the Falkland Islands who in 1994 was awarded the Freedom of Stanley in recognition of his services as a founder member of the United Kingdom Falkland Islands Committee (forerunner of the Falkland Islands Association) which was set up in 1968 to lobby the British Government, Members of Parliament and public opinion generally to recognise the Islanders' right to self-determination. Julian Fitter has served as a trustee since the organisation's inception. In December 1980 the Falkland Islands Newsletter (edition number 9) set out the task ahead of the Falkland Islands Foundation: "The Falklands are extremely rich in those forms of marine wildlife that breed on the coast, notably five species of penguin - king, gentoo, magellanic, macaroni and rockhopper - the black-browed albatross, king and rock shags, fur seal, elephant seal and sea lion. In addition there are endemic birds found nowhere else in the world, including the Falkland flightless steamer duck and the Falkland long-tailed meadow lark. Two Falkland birds, the striated caracara or Johnny Rook (a buzzard-like bird of prey) and the ruddy headed goose, are listed in the International Red Data Book of endangered birds. "Among flowering plants which, like the birds and mammals, are reasonably well known, there are twelve endemic species, some of them recognised as endangered. The cryptogams and invertebrates require much more study. The first priority in wildlife conservation in the Falklands is therefore a thorough survey of the existing animals and plants to ascertain their status and the condition of their habitats, some of which are certainly at risk. "Once this has been done, the Foundation plans to set up a scientific research organisation. Surveys are also needed to provide the basis for the other aspects of the Foundation's work, the preservation of the numerous wrecks and hulks in Stanley Harbour and around the coasts and of the various sites of historic interest. The wrecks constitute a valuable part of the Falkland history and heritage; many of them are very well preserved for their age because of the cool climate and absence of wood-destroying organisms the Islands being entirely treeless. These old vessels are of great interest to maritime historians throughout the world and add an attractive dimension to the scenery of the Islands. There are two eighteenth century colonial settlements, Port Louis and Fort Egmont, which offer outstanding opportunities for excavation; there is also the nineteenth century mission station on Keppel Island which is badly in need of restoration." Shortly after Falklands War local historian John Smith established a museum, with the support of the Falkland Islands Government. The museum is now housed in Britannia House, which was built in 1980 as accommodation for the manager of LADE, the Argentine military air service which provided the Islands' external air link to Commodoro Rivadavia in southern Argentina before 1982. For some years after the war the building was the official residence of the Commander British Forces. The museum is now run by Leona Vidal-Roberts, under the management of the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust, established by the Falkland Islands Government as an independent statutory trust. Over time the Museum and National Trust has taken over responsibility for wrecks and - in conjunction with the Historic Buildings Committee under the leadership of archivist Jane Cameron - buildings and places of historic interest. This has left Falklands Conservation free to concentrate on the study and protection of indigenous wildlife and plants. (Sadly, many of the Islands' historic wrecks, which for so long withstood the battering of wind and tide, are now having their crumbling woodwork eaten away from within by two pernicious sea worms, the teredo and the gribble. Already the Charles Cooper, for many years the world's only surviving American emigrant ship, has had to be dismantled and removed from Stanley Harbour as it was becoming a danger to shipping. The bow has been preserved, with the intention of putting it on public display.) In August 1983 the Falkland Islands Newsletter (edition number 15) commented, "The work of the Foundation was brought to a temporary halt by the Argentinian invasion (and in the aftermath of the war its role is even more essential) but it is active again now, and there are several interesting projects in the pipeline. The Foundation is closely linked with the Falkland Islands Trust, a conservation organisation in the Islands to which the Foundation looks for information and advice." The United Kingdom Falkland Islands Trust was established in June 1981 to raise funds by voluntary contributions for a wide range of charitable purposes, to benefit the people of the Falklands, including the promotion of study and research into the development of agriculture and all other industries and sciences. Over the years the UKFIT, as it is known, has sponsored scientific work across a large range of animal husbandry, forestry, agronomy and other agricultural fields, but today it words closely in partnership with the Department of Agriculture of the Falkland Islands Government rather than Falklands Conservation. The August 1983 Newsletter went on to say, "One of the goals of the Foundation is to undertake a survey of terrestrial and marine fauna and flora in the Falklands, and thereby establish a 'data base' of the sea bird colonies, the seal rookeries, the tussac grass, the kelp, the fish and the many other components of the Falklands ecosystems. Such an ecological survey may sound rather academic, but it is in fact quite a widely used technique of considerable practical value. The information derived from it will not only be useful for purely conservation purposes - such as deciding which areas would be most suitable for designation as nature reserves - but will also assist agricultural planning and possible future development schemes such as inshore fisheries or kelp harvesting. The first step towards implementing such a survey is to assemble the information that is already available, and the second step is to carry out field work to fill the gaps in existing knowledge. The first step is already underway, but the second is likely to cost over £100,000 and will take several years. Not surprisingly, money is the biggest problem, and much will depend upon whether the Overseas Development Administration is prepared to give its financial backing to the project. Since an ecological survey was recommended by the Shackleton Report, and is essential to sound conservation and development planning in the Falklands, the Foundation is hoping that the ODA will be able to help." The years have seen many changes, but the focus on scientific research remains. The Stanley office, which is situated above the Visitors Centre next to the Public Jetty, employs ten members of staff under the leadership of Director Becky Ingham. The 'Seabirds at Sea' team led by Grant Munro has recently pioneered a range of mitigation measures intended to reduce the number of albatross deaths suffered by birds which get caught up in baited fishing lines set out by long-line fishing vessels targeting toothfish, blue whiting and other fin-fish species in the Southern Ocean. The December 1980 edition of the Falkland Islands Newsletter noted, "The Foundation's main office is in England where most of the Trustees live; there is an associated Local Committee in Stanley." Today the majority of trustees are based in the Islands, led by FI Chairman Gordon Liddle and Islands-born Deputy Chairman Jeff Halliday. The Chairman of the UK-based trustees is naturalist and author Robin Woods. The organisation's patron is His Royal Highness the Duke of York. The UK Executive Officer, Ann Brown, co-ordinates charitable fund-raising activities, but conservation activities are also supported by funds accessed through European Union initiatives and the UK Government's Overseas Territories Fund, as well as working in partnership with Birdlife International and other major conservation charities. The organisation is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and through membership of the Government's Environment Committee and close liaison with Government's Environmental Planning Department help shape Falkland Islands Government policy on environmental issues. Education through publication has always been part of Falklands Conservation's strategy. Simon Lyster, secretary of the Falkland Islands Foundation, launched a bi-annual newsletter in December 1983 which continued until 1990, ceasing production shortly after the merger with the Falkland Islands Trust, which itself from 1985 onwards published a bi-annual newsletter known as 'The Warrah'. The newly-formed Falklands Conservation continued to produce The Warrah, initially under editor Dr Kate Thompson, until November 2000. In October 2001 it was replaced by an annual journal entitled 'Wildlife Conservation in the Falkland Islands'. A locally produced newsletter was launched in March 1996, initially edited by Fiona Didlick, and released every few months. The Falklands Conservation Newsletter changed to colour in 2000, and is now published on a regular monthly basis, under editor Sarah Clement. The Newsletter is sponsored by Cable & Wireless and contains articles and pictures on conservation activities around the Islands. It can be viewed on-line at www.falklandsconservation.com . In 2000 Falklands Conservation published the very popular 'A Visitor's Guide to the Falkland Islands' written by Debbie Summers and featuring maps produced by Islander and former Director Jeremy Smith, co-incidentally the oldest child of retired Museum curator John Smith. The website sells various scientific reports, and a number of books on topics related to the history and natural history of the Falkland Islands, and of course contains a wealth of further information. In 2001 the Falklands Conservation Watch Group was established with generous financial support from Standard Chartered Bank, helping educate Islands' children on their surroundings through participation in beach clean-ups, wildlife trips and other outdoor activities. In 2004 a series of quarterly meetings for local members was inaugurated to try to increase local adult participation in the organisation's activities. Each meeting opens with a presentation by a staff member on an aspect of their work, followed by a general update then a question and answer session. A generous legacy bequeathed to Falklands Conservation by a British member has been used to set up a small grants scheme, available to landowners who want to undertake small conservation projects on their land such as the construction of bird-hides or the clearing of rubbish-filled ponds. Interestingly, the August 1983 edition of the Falkland Islands Newsletter emphasised, "Another objective of the Foundation is to encourage Falkland Islanders (especially children) and servicemen to take an active interest in local wildlife. The Foundation has contributed in the past to the Senior School's project to manage Hooker's Point as a conservation area, and will soon be supplying sample educational leaflets on Falklands species. If these prove to be popular the Foundation will provide a broader range of educational materials. The Foundation has also been asked by the Ministry of Defence to assist in preparation of a poster on Falklands wildlife to be distributed to servicemen." It is heartening to see how many of the early aims of the Falkland Islands Foundation continue to drive the activities today of Falklands Conservation
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