Hasmukh Chand posted: " Ascension Island is a remote island located in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and the west coast of Africa. In geological terms, Ascension is a fairly young island - about a million years old. It sits atop a volcano which gave rise to Ascension's " Conservation, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Ascension Island is a remote island located in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and the west coast of Africa. In geological terms, Ascension is a fairly young island - about a million years old. It sits atop a volcano which gave rise to Ascension's parched dry lava and cinder landscape. It is believed that the Portuguese explorer Alfonso de Albuquerque was the first to discover the island around 1501. Despite its discovery, sailors still gave the dry desolate and remote landscape a wide berth as the island had little in the way of freshwater and edible food. That was until they realised that the island was home to turtles and sea-birds and as such, it became a resupply stop-over on their journeys.
In 1815, Ascension Island became an important site for the British Navy which garrisoned a small number of naval troops on the island. The troops were there to keep an eye on Napoleon who had been exiled to the neighbouring and equally remote island of St. Helena. Further, served to protect the trade routes of the British Empire and the East India Company. However, life was hard for the garrisoned troops. They found the harsh climate and landscape difficult for growing food and there was a significant lack of freshwater as well.
This was because the island lacked tall trees to help capture the moisture rising from the oceans and whatever little rain that fell evaporated quickly under the intense sun. Indeed, during his visit to Ascension Island in 1836, Charles Darwin wrote in his journal that "the island is entirely without trees". Further, Darwin documented two native animals on the island; land-crabs and two species of rats (brown and grey) although later he speculated that the rats may have been introduced to the island via the British ships. Other introduced animals documented by Darwin included; sheep, rabbits, goats, cats, cows and horses - many of which would have grazed whatever little vegetation on Ascension down to the bone.
Upon his return to England, Darwin had a chance encounter with Joseph Hooker, a naturalist and explorer much like Darwin. Intrigued and inspired by Darwin, Hooker went on his own expedition and visited Ascension Island in 1843. Witnessing the struggle of the British navy and the somewhat blank canvas before him, Hooker decided to conduct an experiment to green the island. His logic was simple. He believed that by planting trees at the tallest peak on the island (800m in height), he could help increase food security and help create moisture trapping vegetation which would eventually lead to freshwater streams.
When Hooker returned to England, he set his ambitious plan into motion. He worked with Kew Gardens (where his father was a Director) to send plants to Ascension Island. The plants that were selected were those that were used to growing in harsh conditions such as casuarinas, bananas, bamboo, pine, eucalyptus, coffee and fig-trees, to name a few. Between 1847 and 1860, ships arriving on Ascension from places like South America, Africa and Europe brought more plants to help green the island. In 1863, birds from across the Empire were also introduced.
Eventually, the tallest peak on the island turned from red crusted dirt to a green forest (the peak is known as Green Mountain - a name that had been around since before Darwin's visit). Today, Green Mountain is thought of as a green oasis - a mosaic cloud forest that seems to have achieved Hooker's dreams of food and water security. In recognition of this, Green Mountain has been designated a national park. The Island is also a marine protected area these days and provides a safe-haven for green sea-turtles to nest. Indeed, some believe that Hooker's experiment is so successful that it could serve as a model for post bushfire regeneration, reclaiming deserts and even terraforming Mars.
Others however are not so convinced. They point to the fact that Ascension's green oasis is actually an ecological desert. Primarily, the critics argue that the trees planted on the island were all introduced species. And by doing so, the flora that was endemic to the island have been pushed to the brink of extinction. Hooker came to regret the negative impacts of his experiment on the island's endemic flora later in life as well. Introduced species such as goats, sheep and rats are adding to the ecological stresses on the island. Those who embrace a more traditional view of conservation and ecology also highlight that it would take the forest on Green Mountain many thousands of years to become a complex and functioning ecosystem.
Hooker's ecological experiment on Ascension Island was driven by a desire to make the land habitable and fit for purpose for the Empire. In some respects, he achieved his goal(s). Yet in doing so, he has created a controversial green oasis that does not fit neatly into the traditional parameters of ecology and ecosystem science. The true results of this experiment may not manifest for many more years. For now, Ascension serves as a cautionary tale for those looking to alter and reforest other landscapes that are devoid of vegetation.
No comments:
Post a Comment