The Falkland Islands

Gentoo, King and Rockhopper Penguins, the War

Ninety Gentoo penguins are congregated on the dramatically rugged edges of Bluff Cove that frame and would exceed any wildlife enthusiast's ideal vista. Wiring shields the wildlife from the mines planted here some 25 years ago, a macabre tourist attraction or effective wildlife perimeter announcing the legacy of the 1982 Falklands conflict.

Tourism is booming here and competition is high between Islanders. There is an emphasis on drawing the cruise ship visitors back to the Islands as land-based tourists, willing to spend more money and visit areas further afield.

Keith Heathman, contract sheep shearer and erstwhile tour guide lets me know that there are something akin to 30,000 active mines still left on the islands and that he is responsible for maintaining 57 of the sites.

The one constant is the merciless wind. All other weather patterns cease, yet the wind whips up icy grains of sand, freezing sea mists and threatens to impede my viewing of the pair of King Penguins and chick before me.

One wonders if the penguins that abound here are grateful to the minefield sanctuaries bequeathed to them. It is among these plastic parcels of destruction that Kings, Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins come to nest, relatively sheltered from the interference of man.

Last year an estimated 60,000 people came into the Falklands region on cruise ships. Of course, not every passenger actually set foot in Stanley or came to see the wildlife, but think about the consequences of such numbers, especially in relation to the possible 70,000 that will berth just off the coast.

Even now in the off season one can see the scars from last year's tours in the form of 4x4 carved rivets through the diddle dee, tussock grass and heathland. The difficulty of managing the equilibrium between, sustainable tourism, growth and a fragile environment.

According to Grant Munro, CEO of Falklands Conservation, this balance is something that is hard to strike, but that is being managed admirably. "We don't want want to be obstructive to the diversification of the economy. Progress here needs to be in a measured fashion. Steady growth and realization. The main sites need to be well-managed and developed, almost sacrificed for the sake of the others."

Munro has reason for concern, the history of the Islands is one of exploitation for a fickle economy. Diversification has come and gone and left the Islanders and their environment reeling from the effects. In the past just about every species on the islands was seen as an inexhaustible resource, even the penguins were boiled up for their oil by the thousand.

Then came the herds of sheep with their all precious wool. Profitable for a while and now a financial anomaly. The sheep shearing business can stake the ignoble claim of being responsible for the complete eradication of the warrah, the Falklands Fox, in 1876. The fox was seen as a credible threat and a competitor to the flocks and a bounty was placed upon each and every one.

The warrah was almost joined by the caracara or johnny rook. A fearsome bird of prey, this too had a bounty on its head, but is now protected and could possibly be brought back from the brink, but remains endangered.

The next threats of rampant over exploitation could well surface in the forms of commercial fishing and unregulated tourism. Rockhopper penguins are reflecting the worldwide decline in their species with falling numbers here and 19 of the 21 species of Albatross are endangered. It remains to be seen how tourism and the environment will shape up in this startlingly rich and fragile ecosystem.