26 June 2019
The Environment & Natural Resources Committee has approved a formal 28-day public consultation on the draft Conservation Management Plan for Diana’s Peak National Park, as per the requirements of the Environmental Protection Ordinance.
Diana’s Peak National Park is a much-loved wildlife hotspot that lies at the heart of St Helena Island. The Peaks have been voted one of the ‘Seven Wonders of St Helena’, is home to over 250 of St Helena’s endemic species, and is vital for the Island’s water supply as almost 40% of St Helena’s water comes from the Peaks.
St Helena Government is grateful to all those who have already provided comments on the draft Plan during a participative preparation process, and is now very keen to hear further comments from Peaks stakeholders, as well as from all and any members of the public who are interested in the future of the Diana’s Peak National Park.
A hard copy of the Plan is available from the Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD), Scotland, and Essex House in Jamestown. Electronic copies are also available on the Publications page of the SHG website: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/publications/ or from Terrestrial Conservation Officer, Sasha Bargo, via email: sasha.bargo@sainthelena.gov.sh.
The deadline for comments is Friday, 26 July 2019, and comments should be submitted to the Acting Director Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Directorate, Darren Duncan.
Notes to Editors
In 2018, SHG commissioned a collaborative process to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the Peaks in order to fulfil the legal requirement of Section 31 of the Environmental Protection Ordinance, 2016, that National Conservation Areas have a plan to guide their conservation.
The creation of a Conservation Management Plan is a key tool to conserve the Peaks for future generations, and is also a vital prerequisite for St Helena to be able to seek international funding to restore Peaks habitats for both their wildlife and to increase water capture. It is a separate document to that required under the Land Development Control Plan (LDCP), which mandates that National Conservation Areas develop a management plan for planning and built development purposes.
A three-day multi-stakeholder workshop therefore took place at ANRD, Scotland, in December 2018 to start developing the plan with input from all involved in the Peaks. As well as representation from multiple sections of SHG, there were also representatives from local conservationists, landowners, businesses and Non-Government Organisations. International experts in attendance included staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, University of British Columbia, as well as international environmental consultants Ben Sansom and Dr Roger Key.
Following this successful workshop, local consultant, Andrew Darlow, was commissioned to write up the workshop conclusions and produce a first draft of a Conservation Management Plan on behalf of SHG. He conducted three separate rounds of informal consultation on the draft Plan between February and May 2019, working alongside SHG staff and circulating it to the workshop participants in order to ensure as participative a process as possible. The draft has now been completed and was formally submitted to the Environment & Natural Resources Committee for consideration on 20 June 2019.
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SHG
26 June 2019