New Island is one of the most important sites for wildlife and biodiversity in the Falkland Islands and is the leading site in the Falklands for long-term scientific research on seabirds.
The island has been a centre for scientific research into the ecology of the South Atlantic since the 1970s, attracting research groups from Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal as well as Canada, USA and the UK.
Ongoing long-term research has focused on the environmental and other factors influencing the population dynamics of black-browed albatross, rockhopper penguin and thin-billed prion – all species for which the Falklands is the world’s most important breeding site. Concurrently research projects have been undertaken on other species, such as Gentoo penguin, white-chinned petrel, Falkland skua, imperial cormorant, upland goose and striated caracara.
Research on terrestrial habitats and species has been much less extensive but has included a comprehensive survey and mapping of the main habitats and their vascular plants and some preliminary work on liverworts, mosses, lichens and invertebrates.
Much of this research has been distilled in a series of research reports and publications. A list of these can be accessed by clicking here.
At present, the main research groups working on New Island are from universities in Germany and Portugal. Summaries of their current research and links to their most recent papers can be found by clicking here.
A workshop on scientific research at New Island was held in Cambridge in 2013. The full report and recommendations can be found by clicking here.
A feasibility study for the eradication of vertebrate alien invasive species was prepared by Derek Brown in 2013 and can be found by clicking here.
The Trust is seeking to enhance and expand the research and monitoring being carried out on New Island, including improving links with the work of Falklands Conservation and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI).
