GREEN ISLAND
PRESS RELEASE
SALLY PONCET / FALKLANDS CONSERVATION
SEAL COLONY THREATENED BY FIRE ON GREEN ISLAND
Three weeks after a devastating fire that swept across
The survey party, which consisted of Andrew Miller and Steve Pearce from the Stanley Fire Department, Ben Sullivan and Andy Black from Falklands Conservation, Dion Poncet, Ken and Edith Cripps, Penny Oliver and owner of the Island Sally Poncet, accessed the island via the Damien II from Mare Harbour. Perfect conditions allowed the team easy access and good coverage of the island. The island’s entire shoreline and interior was assessed, investigating the damage to vegetation, soil and wildlife.
The island was on fire at many spots along its entire length, deep in the peat and surfacing where the peat bogs had burnt to leave circular ash-filled pits underneath which was red-hot glowing peat 2m or more in depth. In places, these pits had extended and covered tens of square metres, leaving exposed peat faces metres high and intensely hot. The face of the fires continued to spread, visibly eating away at the areas of remnant intact tussac and more insidiously, underground in the currently unburnt peat.
Of particular concern is the largest surviving tussac area on the island’s southeast coast. This is approximately 200m long and up to 20m wide. The peat fires are only metres away from this area, which is inhabited by the island’s sea lion population. Five badly injured animals (3 females and 2 pups) were seen here, all with flippers burnt raw, showing pink flesh and in an obvious state of distress, and not moving when approached. The risk of animals falling into the burning pits is extremely high, as indicated by the number of already injured animals seen, and the number of animals injured will continue to increase unless a physical barrier is erected to prevent the seals from moving inland until steps are taken to extinguish the peat fires. Also injured were Rock shags, 3 groups breeding on the south coast of the island were affected and dead burnt fledglings were seen, at least 12 fledglings had burnt tail feathers and/or feet, some with no webbing left, others with exposed pink flesh on the remains of the feet. At the time of the fire these birds would have been on the nest, still being fed by the adults and unable to fly. A few adults had singed body feathers. Dead Magellanic penguin chicks and Turkey vultures were also seen. At the time of the fire these birds would have been unable to fly or to go to sea.
Despite the efforts of the MOD to extinguish the fire on January 29th using a Chinook and a Sea king helicopter equipped with water-buckets, dumping thousands of litres of sea water on the island only hours after the fire was first seen, the fire continues to burn. As is the pattern with fires on tussac islands, the fire quickly burns into the peat soil and unless dug out, will continue to burn for months, leaving bedrock and a hard layer of burnt clay after the peat blows away.
Steps are being taken by the islands owner, along with Falklands Conservation, the military and the Stanley Fire Department, to trench and protect the final strips of tussac and prevent further mortality of sea-lions. One bull was destroyed on Tuesday by the Veterinary department and FIDF, but each high tide brings more danger to the remaining animals.
Ninety-five percent of the island’s vegetation has been lost by the fire. Of this, perhaps up to 20% has been destroyed permanently. The remaining 75% of tussac bogs have been scorched but there is every indication that these bogs will recover providing the peat beneath them does not burn. The other 5% of the island’s vegetation is still intact, but is at imminent risk of destruction as the fire continues to burn underground.
It is estimated that prior to the current fire, 99% of the surface area of the island was covered in a more or less continuous canopy of well established tussac grass, with individual bogs between 2 and 3m high. A slightly less dense area was found in the center of the island, indications of former grazing by cattle, which were present on the island up until the 1980s.
Ends
Green Island is owned by Sally Poncet and is approximately 620 metres long and 170 metres wide, being roughly rectangular in shape, aligned west-east and occupying approx. 10.5 hectares. It lies at the southern entrance to Choiseul Sound. The island is fringed with a continuous kelp bed, and at low water a 30-50 metre wide rock platform is exposed. At the western extremity this rock platform extends up to around 100 metres offshore. At high water, the island’s south coast foreshore is reduced to a narrow 3-10 metre wide area of mainly rock platform and a couple of small shingle beaches. The north coast shoreline at high water is mostly shingle. The foreshore at the eastern extremity of the island is the site of the second largest sea lion colony in the Falklands. For further details contact Sally Poncet on 42316 or email [email protected]
Falklands Conservation is a non-governmental organisation and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales number 3661322, registered charity number 1073859. For further information contact Conservation Officer Becky Ingham in Stanley, telephone +500 22247 or email [email protected]
