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In March 2008 the United Kingdom appointed Dr Anton Wolfaardt as its first ACAP Officer, to address issues relating to the conservation of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels in the South Atlantic.

Anton is based within the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC; www.jncc.gov.uk) and works closely with Mark Tasker, also with the JNCC, who is past Chair and current Vice-Chair of the ACAP Advisory Committee.

In early September Anton travelled to the main island of Tristan da Cunha on South Africa's Antarctic supply/research vessel, the S.A. Agulhas, for a three-week visit.  While at Tristan he will hold consultations and undertake site visits with the Heads of the Tristan Departments of Conservation (Trevor Glass) and of Fisheries (James Glass).

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross on Gough Island

A prepared document "ACAP Implementation Plan for the Tristan da Cunha islands: review of current work and a prioritised work programme for the future" will be discussed in detail on the island.  It is then intended to submit the document as an Information Paper to the Fifth Meeting of ACAP's Advisory Committee, due to be held in Argentina in April 2010.

During the outward voyage opportunity was taken to liaise with ACAP's Information Officer, John Cooper, who was on his way to Gough Island (part of the Tristan Group) with the annual relief of the South African meteorological station, where he is assisting with the continuation of long-term demographic studies of several ACAP-listed species (see previous news item).

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland extended its ratification of the Agreement to the Tristan Group on 13 April 2006.  Tristan and Gough both fall within the newly constituted UK Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 September 2009