SubAntarctic Foundation For Ecosystems Research
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The SubAntarctic Foundation for Ecosystems Research (aka SAFER), founded in 1996 by New Zealand-based zoologist Dr. Peter Carey, is working on several
habitat restoration Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair ...
projects on four small islands that SAFER owns in the western
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...
. The islands (Bense, Little Bense, Cliff, and Bradley Islet) are in various states of modification from such human activities as
grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...
, widespread fire, and
introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
. SAFER is conducting fauna and flora inventories, studying the ecology of introduced rodents ( Norway rat and
house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. A ...
) and examining the behaviour and ecology of various resident bird species. In addition, the
soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the Topsoil, upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, Atmosphere of Ea ...
and deposition that resulted from a fire in 1985 is being monitored, with a view to replanting in the future. Eradication of
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
is also a key part of SAFER's plans to restore the islands to prime wildlife habitat. These projects are coordinated by SAFER's Director, Peter Carey. SAFER is registered in the United States as a non-profit
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
organisation.


References


External links


SAFER homepage


{{DEFAULTSORT:Subantarctic Foundation For Ecosystems Research Organizations established in 1996 Ecology organizations Environment of the Falkland Islands Foundations based in New Zealand Subantarctic Conservation and environmental foundations