CONSERVING THE CLOUD FOREST
How the St Helena Cloud Forest Project is preserving a globally important ecosystem
The St Helena Peaks National Park is home to an ancient cloud forest and at least 250 species found nowhere else in the world.
A UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM
The Island of St Helena is known for many things, including its impeccable beauty, its incredible natural wonders and even being home to the world’s oldest living land animal. However, one thing you might not know about St Helena is that located high up in the hills of its Peaks National
Park, concealed by hazy clouds and rugged terrain is the last remaining natural cloud forest in British territory. This unique habitat is home to at least 250 rare and endemic species including the spiky yellow woodlouse (Pseudolaureola atlantica),
the blushing snail (Succinea sanctaehelenae) and the golden sail spider (Argyrodes mellissii),
as well as incredibly diverse flora such as the black cabbage tree (Melanodendron integrifolium)
and the Saint Helena whitewood (Petrobium arboreum).
The island offers a precious refuge for nature and there are hundreds of endangered endemic species, including between 45-50 plants not found anywhere else in the world. However, the cloud forest is under threat. After years of invasive flora taking over, the habitat is fragmented and at risk of being wiped out. This is where the St Helena Cloud Forest Project comes in.
CLOUD FOREST PROJECT
The St Helena Cloud Forest Project is an exciting partnership-based project created to upscale cloud forest restoration and improve biodiversity and water security – as well as establish a stronger socio-economic environment.
This highly collaborative project has been created with a clear objective: to increase the cloud forest habitat by 25 per cent across five years. Doing so would secure a habitat equating to a sixth of the UK’s endemic biodiversity and increase the water supply by up to a fifth on the island.
This initiative is crucial for permitting biodiversity to improve, allowing the cloud forest habitat to thrive. The scheme will work as a multiyear project funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office involving leading global organisations and expert consultants, who are working to safeguard the cloud forest as an important wildlife destination and prevent further extinction.
RESTORING HABITAT
The reason this project is so important is that it impacts not only the habitats of the cloud forest but also the inhabitants of the island, or ‘saints’ as they are known. The destruction of the cloud forest has put the 4,500 people who live on St Helena at risk. The majority of the island’s fresh water is provided by its high peaks, with 60 per cent of that being obtained via mist capture. This project aims to achieve the necessary action required to protect and enhance the mist interception to increase rainfall recharge for water supply, soil-based water filtration and stream flow control to counterbalance the impacts of climate change. The St Helena government is working alongside organisations such as St Helena National Trust, Connect St Helena as well as the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew and the RSPB to expand the cloud forest. This will be done by re-vegetating the remaining cloud forest fragments in key areas of mist capture. This restoration is crucial for ensuring that St Helena’s cloud forest continues to be enjoyed for many years to come.