Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2016-2020 Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2016-2020 For enquiries relating to this plan contact: Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands Government House Stanley Falkland Islands FIQQ 1ZZ Telephone: +500 28207 e-mail: [email protected] Recommended citation: Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2015) Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2016-2020. Government House, Stanley, Falkland Islands Cover photo credit: Andy Black Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) Table of Contents Page Introduction 1 Vision statement 5 Goals and Objectives 6 Objective 1: Integrate conservation into Government programmes, policies and plans and ensure that environmental management practices are fully transparent 8 and conform to or exceed global standards. Objective 2: Increase SGSSI’s environmental global reach though collaboration 10 and knowledge sharing. Objective 3: Ensure that our obligations under multi-lateral environmental agreements are met. 12 Objective 4: Standardised environmental assessment procedures will be developed which are scalable and commensurate with the potential impact the activity may 14 have on the environment Objective 5: Enhance knowledge of the biodiversity and habitats of SGSSI through research, monitoring and review, including to assess the impact of the habitat restoration programme and the Marine Protected Area, and the potential effects of 15 climate change. Objective 6: Effectively manage existing invasive alien species and work along the entire biosecurity continuum to deliver best practice biosecurity protocols, post- 17 boarder monitoring and emergency response measures. Objective 7: Adopting a risk based approach, use the best available data, establish appropriate protection of the terrestrial environment through a suite of Protected 21 Areas and ensuring that land based activities are managed sustainably and with minimal impacts on the environment. Objective 8: Understand and where possible mitigate the risks from substances that have the potential to harm the environment such as heavy fuel oil and 24 pollutants present in old whaling stations. Annex 1 - Regulatory Framework 27 Annex 2 – Aichi target matrix 30 Activities Plan 32 Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) Introduction Background South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The island of South Georgia is situated approximately 1,450 south-east of the Falkland Islands and 1,900 km east of the southern tip of South America. Mainland South Georgia and its offshore islands comprise a land area of 3,750 km2. The island is mountainous with the majority of land over 1,000 m a.s.l. Approximately 60 % of the land is permanently covered with snow and ice. The South Sandwich Islands lie to the south and are a chain of eleven volcanically active islands stretching from 56o S to 59o S. Figure 1. South Georgia at sunset (Photo: Martin Collins) The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Maritime Zone, was declared in 1993 and extends 200 nautical miles from the baselines (the coast of South Georgia and each of the South Sandwich Islands) and occupies approximately 1.3 million km2. The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands MPA, which occupies the 1.07 million km2 of the MZ that lies north of 60o S was declared in 2012. The SGSSI MPA is a sustainable use MPA and includes large no take zones in all coastal areas. Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) 1 The territory is a haven for wildlife and is home to about five million seals of four different species, and 65 million breeding birds of 30 different species and 40 species of non-breeding birds. The waters surrounding the islands are an important habitat for migrating whales and are host to a vast array of marine benthic fauna. They are also rich in commercially important fish species and are important for Antarctic krill populations that are a key link in the Southern Ocean food web. Figure 2. High biodiversity in the marine benthic environment (Photo: SMSG) Past human activities have had profound impacts on the flora and fauna of South Georgia. Sealing began in the late 1700s and by the early 1800s fur seal populations were severely depleted. Then, between 1904 and the 1960s, with over 1,000 people working on the island at the peak of the whaling industry, tens of thousands of whales were killed. With so many visiting people and vessels, and the movement of supplies and equipment, numerous alien species were either accidentally or deliberately introduced, the most devastating being brown rats and reindeer. Current status There is no resident human population on South Georgia although there is a settlement at King Edward Point (KEP) that hosts: the administration of the island, a scientific base operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and a museum run by the South Georgia Heritage Trust. Approximately 13 people are resident at KEP in the winter months but in the summer the number of personnel can double and many thousands of tourists come to the Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) 2 island for day visits. A second BAS base is situated on Bird Island, off the north-western tip of mainland South Georgia. This has a complement of four personnel in the winter and up to 10 in the summer months. The South Sandwich Islands are unpopulated and receive infrequent visits from yachts and small cruise ships. The main activities within SGSSI are fishing, tourism and science. Within the Maritime Zone fisheries are managed to the highest international standards in one of the worlds largest sustainable use Marine Protected Areas. The South Georgia Patagonian toothfish fishery has been certified as sustainably managed by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), since 2004. The largest operators in the icefish and krill fisheries have also received certification from the MSC. Approximately 7,000 tourists visit SGSSI each year. Cruise ship operators are all members of IAATO and landings are limited to designated Visitor Landing Sites. A range of science activities are also routinely carried out on South Georgia. A particular emphasis is placed on the monitoring of seabird, seals and fish stocks, providing information that is useful for the continued sustainable management of the marine environment. Figure 3. The SGSSI Marine Protected Area Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) 3 GSGSSI is required to maintain a balanced annual budget, with expenditure not exceeding income. The principal source of revenue is from the sale of fisheries licences, particularly toothfish. Other sources of income include landing charges from tourists and the sale of stamps and commemorative coins. Expenditure is primarily on fisheries management (including running costs of the fisheries patrol vessel), environmental projects and heritage work. The GSGSSI has five full-time staff in its office in Stanley. On South Georgia three Government Officers at King Edward Point have responsibility for oversight of activities including administering fisheries compliance, licencing and permits, biosecurity, and co- ordinating emergency response locally. Environmental planning Conservation of the pristine nature of the environment of SGSSI is at the heart of Government activities. The last five years in particular have seen major advances in the management and protection of the environment of the islands. The enactment of the Wildlife & Protected Areas in 2011 was followed by the creation of a sustainable use Marine Protected Area in 2012. The completion of projects to eradicate rodents and reindeer should see a recovery of native habitats and species; there are indications that this is already happening. Against a backdrop of a changing climate and increasing human visitation, ensuring that these high standards of stewardship continue, and that SGSSI remain at the forefront of environmental management best practice, is more important than ever. Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) 4 Vision statement To work in partnership with experts and stakeholders in the UK and the rest of the world to protect the biodiversity and ecosystem function of the South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands’ environment for the benefit of all human kind, and ensure that the Territory remains at the forefront of cutting–edge environmental management best practice. Figure 4. The flag flies high at King Edward Point (Photo: Matthew Phillips) Biodiversity Action Plan for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (2016-2020) 5 Goal and Objectives Overall goal The overall goal of environmental management on SGSSI is to conserve the Territory’s environment, minimise human impacts and, where practicable, restore the native biodiversity and habitats. To this end, this plan seeks to ensure that species and habitats receive adequate protection and that all current and future activities in the Territory are managed sustainably and with the interests of protecting the environment at their heart. Objectives This National Biodiversity Action Plan has the following main objectives which were