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The landscape of St Helena was once very different. From the coast to the high interior lush vegetation was dominant. The arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century and the subsequent waves of inhabitation have changed the island dramatically.
The Great Wood, that covered much of the island, was cut down for firewood, decimated by introduced goats and out-competed by invasive vegetation. But since the turn of the century the people of St Helena have been trying to restore this lost heritage. The roots of the Millennium Forest were in fact planted before the turn of the century. George Benjamin, a pioneer of St Helena’s environmental awareness and action, began planting gumwood (Commidendrum robustum), a rare endemic of the Asteraceae and the national tree of St Helena, and experimented with different cultivation methods nearly two decades ago. Those planted in the 1980s grew well and there were more plantings in 1995 and 1998.
The project launch unleashed a tremendous amount of community energy. Virtually every islander paid for a tree, and during this initial phase about 3,000 trees were planted. The gatehouse was built, a car park laid out and forestry workers employed to continue the work. Eight years on much has been achieved and, of course, there is still much to do. About 25 hectares have been planted so far and the total land area now reserved for the Millennium Forest is 250 hectares. So the challenge is to maintain the planted areas while expanding into the new. |
