Remote island community lights a beacon
As millions marked the Jubilee, a community comprising just a few hundred revellers living in virtual isolation in the South Atlantic made sure it did not miss the party.
Residents on the tiny archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, a British territory, marked the Jubilee by lighting a beacon made of invasive non-native plants which pose a significant threat to its precious wildlife unless treated.
The islands, the world’s most remote at more than 1,500 miles from the nearest land mass of St Helena, are inhabited by 262 people, many of whom farm. The other main source of income is a lobster factory. Islanders were keen to celebrate by burning the invasive plants which pose a danger to existing native wildlife.
Chief islander Ian Laverollo said: “Invasive species are the greatest threat to wildlife on the island and the best way to get rid of the plants we clear is by burning them.”