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Falklands Conservation |
Battle to Clear Thistles
Determined efforts are being made to clear creeping and spear thistles from a number of locations in the Falklands. These plants are recent non-native invaders, which can cause problems for gardeners, farmers (damage to sheep fleeces in particular), and native wildlife where they aggressively compete with the native plants. Strong winds, a common feature of Falklands weather, provide an ideal mechanism for the efficient spread of seed-carrying thistledown.
This year several groups of volunteers have been removing thistles before the plants have a chance to set seed. At the end of January a team of volunteers from Falklands Conservation, the Department of Agriculture and Year 9 at the Falkland Islands Community School undertook the painful task of removing a large area of these very prickly plants by hand to the west of Stanley (see below).
West of Stanley
This was followed a week later by a more industrial operation including the use of a flamethrower with assistance from the Fire Department. Work is also underway at the Mount Pleasant Military Complex where a team of volunteers are spraying herbicide on large areas of thistles around Mare Harbour.
This work is part of a programme initiated by Falklands Conservation in 2003 to control the Falkland invasion of thistles. Efforts to remove this unwanted plant from other locations include Whalebone Cove (see below) and Saunders Island.
Whalebone Cove
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Patron: HRH The Duke of York CVO ADC Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature | BirdLife International Representative |