The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust: Preserving the History of the 7th Continent The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is a not-for-profit that cares for six heritage sites on the Antarctic Peninsula and has most recently led the conservation management plan for the shipwreck of Shackleton’s Endurance. The organization’s flagship site, Port Lockroy, is a museum and post office. Each year, a conservation field team is deployed there to repair and care for the buildings, which hold incredible stories of scientific discovery and life in the extremes and are increasingly vulnerable to the weather and climate. During the 2022/2023 season, Quark Expeditions collected the UKAHT team from their Antarctic base, Port Lockroy, at the end of the season in challenging and changeable conditions, with two Quark Expeditions ships on standby to give them a lift home after a successful but tiring five- month season. This logistical help enables the UKAHT team to be on base to welcome visitors to the museum, shop, and post office, sharing the history of the base and their enthusiasm for all the historic sites. We are thrilled to work with UKAHT to enable their vital conservation work while also offering guests a unique visit to remember. Funds from the Quark Expeditions onboard auctions supported repairs and maintenance on UKAHT’s historic buildings, which are unique in the world and tell the story of early Antarctic life. Repairs and maintenance in Antarctica are challenging and ongoing, and we are proud to direct funds to this cause.
South Georgia Heritage Trust: A Legacy of Habitat Restoration The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) has been instrumental in protecting the unique wildlife of South Georgia Island through its innovative rodent eradication program. Quark Expeditions proudly supported the initial project, which began with the goal of eliminating rodents, which had decimated populations of native birds like the South Georgia pipit and the South Georgia pintail. By 2018, the SGHT successfully declared the island rodent-free after a meticulous baiting campaign. The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) Biosecurity Dog Program was put in place to maintain this rodent- free status. Based in the Falkland Islands, the specially trained dogs and their handlers conduct searches on tourist, fishery patrol, science and fishing vessels, and cargo bound for South Georgia. They have also visited South Georgia to check that the areas cleared of rats remain rodent-free. The team initially comprised one handler, Naomi Cordeiro, and her dog Sammy. With your support, the team has grown to include one more handler, Duncan Willis, and two more dogs, Hunter and King. The biosecurity dog program is vital in ensuring that bird populations on South Georgia can continue to recover in the absence of rodents. Thanks to the work of the dog team, residents and visitors alike are becoming mindful of biosecurity, which is becoming a part of everyday life. The outreach and educational value of the dogs has proved to be immense. They have been featured in a children’s book, on Falkland Islands stamps, and in a documentary series.
SHOP: Giants of South Georgia by Ross James Illustrated by Olga Volgina
To learn more about UKAHT, visit UKAHT.org.
To learn more about SGHT, visit SGHT.org.
34 | For more information, contact Quark Expeditions at Sustainability@QuarkExpeditions.com
Polar Promise 2023 |
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