ST. HELENA CLOUD FOREST

 

St. Helena is a 10x5 mile volcanic island located 1210 miles west of Africa and 2500 miles east of Rio de Janeiro. Less than 4500 people live there. It was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. Perhaps its most famous inhabitant was Napoleon, who after being defeated at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, was exiled there by the British until his death in 1821.

One unique features of the island is its cloud forest, one of the few on the planet with species of flora and fauna found no where else due to its remote location.

The cloud forest was devastated by goats left by various mariners and since 2000, there has been a painstaking reforestation project underway.  Seeds of local plants are gathered, grown as seedlings then transplanted. A nice vid concerning this effort: