Unconventional Conservation

Landmines have—justifiably—a bad reputation. But for the wildlife of the Falkland Islands, especially penguins, the mines have been a godsend.

During the 1982 war with Great Britain over the islands, Argentine troops planted an estimated 25,000 mines in more than 100 fields, where the explosives remain. The areas have been fenced off to livestock, and any human foolhardy enough to enter the fields faces a hefty fine.

The birds’ footsteps are, however, too light to set off the landmines. As a result, four species of penguin that frequent the Falklands—Gentoo, King, Rockhopper and Magellanic—are thriving undisturbed in these areas.

Local environmental groups say that although they’re unable to conduct scientific studies in the minefields, the local plant life also appears to be recovering from years of farming and sheep grazing. Based on their observations, the groups say other local birds including cormorants and herons appear more numerous than ever. Offshore even, dolphins are flourishing, mating and nesting without interference.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 pm and is filed under Under-reported. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. Add to del.icio.us.