A DECISION to refuse the people of Ascension Island the right to stay there permanently could spell doom for the Atlantic island’s rich biodiversity.
The British-run territory, which lies 8 degrees south of the equator, is home to half a million seabirds and a large colony of green turtles. But the flora and fauna on the island’s 50 square kilometres have been under attack from cats, rats and a rampant Mexican thorn bush. Recent initiatives by the islanders have protected the wildlife from the onslaught, but conservationists fear that people will not carry on the work unless they can stay…
