Safeguarding Seedbanks: Securing the future of Ascension spurge
Key Facts
FUNDING SCHEME Darwin Plus Local
VALUE £10,000
WHERE Ascension Island
Summary
Critically endangered and endemic, Ascension spurge (Euphorbia origanoides) faces dual threats from climate change and invasive alien species, particularly grazers. Following DPLUS113 trials and monitoring, assisted migration attempts and passive irrigation system implementation has considerably improved survivorship. Building on successes, this project aims to tackle these threats by (1) implementing protection island-wide, (2) expanding previously established assisted migratory sites, and (3) trialing electrical fencing as a feral animal deterrent where Ascension spurge populations grow
Biodiversity monitoring efforts aimed at identifying the migration patterns of Endangered sea turtles highlight the urgent need for global conservation.
