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Falklands Conservation |
Outer North West Island (65 Ha, 161 acres)
This nature reserve has been managed since 1985 under a long term lease to Falklands Conservation from Mr Robert Gibbons.
This Island lies 0.5km west of Inner North West Island. It is low lying forming a plateau of horizontally bedded dark coloured sandstone. The surface plateau is raised some 5 metres above high water mark. At low water the flat rocky foreshore is exposed to a distance of 50m from the coastline. The Island is about 1.5km in length with a width varying between 0.5 and 0.75 km.
There is a small area of heath and grassland in the centre of the Island covering about 10 acres. The remaining area is tussac grass, which suffered the effects of an extensive fire in October 1986. There was no underground burning however and the vegetation seems to be recovering fairly quickly. Patches of Sword Grass grow on the perimeter of the central grassland, with some very exceptional stands just above high water mark on the south shore.
A colony of Sea Lions is located on the SE shore. Magellanic Penguins, Steamer ducks, Crested Ducks, Night Heron, Kelp Geese, Black Oystercatcher and Ground Tyrants have been recorded.
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Patron: HRH The Duke of York CVO ADC Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature | BirdLife International Representative |